We're a Family
by Mickey00
Summary: A series of fluffy/angsty/family-brotherly one-shots of our favorite Newsboys! T just to be safe.
1. Family

"C'mon, Davey we're going to be late!" Les Jacobs shouted as he ran down the sidewalk. His older brother Davey Jacobs lagged behind much to Les's dismay.

They were running a little late getting to the distribution center because, well, let's just say it'd been a bad morning.

Anyway, Davey was lagging behind pretty far and didn't notice his brother had slipped into the busy crowd of New York until he looked up.

His eyes darted around nervously.

"Les?" No answer.

"Les?!"

He began running a bit, scanning the busy streets, trying to find his ten yr. old brother.

He did a double take when he spotted two very familiar brothers cornering Les. "No," he whispered, pushing through the crowd.

He had to get to Les. If anything happened to his brother he would never forgive himself.

Morris was just about to swing when Davey reached them just in time and stood in front of his brother.

"Pick on someone your own size," Davey growled.

Oscar chuckled evilly and said, "Fine by me."

They pounced. Davey attempted to fight back but it was no use. Both boys were stronger than him and it was two against one.

"Les, run!" Davey shouted.

Les looked fearfully from at the brother and back to his brother who was losing the fight horribly.

Les took off and ran the fastest he'd ever run in his life with only one thing on his mind.

He had to find Jack.

He ran up to the distribution and ran past all the boys, who shouted their complaints but made no movement to stop the younger boy.

"Jack!" Les shouted.

He stopped and looked around frantically. He wasn't here.

"Kid, you ok?" Race asked.

"Where's Jack?"

"Over there talking with Crutchie, what's the rush?" Race asked with a slight, nervous, chuckle. He'd never seen the kid so scared.

Les ran over to Jack and grabbed his arm. "Jack, come on!" he shouted. "Whoa, slow down kid. What's the matter? And where's Davey?" he asked, frowning in confusion.

But Les was so out of breath he could barely get the words out. "Davey, Delanceys, help," he panted.

Jack's eyes widened when he understood.

He called a few of the other boys and Les ran back to where Davey and the Delanceys had been.

The Delanceys were gone, but Davey was unconscious on the pavement.

The group ran over and began looking over the injured boy.

"What do we do?" Les asked, near tears. "Let's get him back to the Lodge House," Jack said and the Newsies nodded.

Mush and Jack put Davey's arms around their shoulders and together, the boys went back to the Lodge House.

They gently laid him on the bed and they finally got a good look at the injuries. It wasn't good.

Les stayed by Davey with Romeo's hand on his shoulder and the rest of the boys watching their brother worriedly.

Jack was talking to Race, Specs, and Crutchie over in the corner. Les could just barely make out what they were saying.

"…. not good…. what…. do…."

"Maybe… could…."

"No….. what if…."

"No…. Ace might….."

"….. could try…."

They group came over to the rest of the boys and Jack went out the door.

"Where's Jack going?" Les asked.

"He went to ask Kath about something," Crutchie explained.

Specs got a warm wash cloth and the boys began attempting to wash some of the blood off.

It'd been almost two hours and still no sign of Jack or Katherine.

Davey was paler than he was when the boys first brought him in and Les had worried himself to sleep on accident.

The boys were taking turns watching Davey and making sure nothing changed.

The only thing that changed was that Davey would grunt, flinch, or make some sort of weird noise every now and then but he stayed asleep.

Suddenly, the door burst open making all the boys jump and waking Les up.

Jack came in followed by Katherine.

Jack kicked all the boys out into the other room so he and Katherine could figure out how bad it actually was and when they were finally allowed back in, they saw various bandages wrapped around Davey's bare torso.

"He's going to be ok, Les," Jack said as the boy rushed over to his brother.

As if on cue, Davey shot up, fully awake and looking around wildly. He then groaned and grabbed stomach with his non-injured arm.

"Hey, take it easy, Mouth. You ok?" Race asked, sitting in the chair next to Les.

Davey looked around, confused.

"The Delanceys-," he started.

"We know. Your brother here," Jack clapped Les on the shoulder, "came got us. We found you in the alley. We brought you here and Ace fixed you up."

Davey looked around at the newsboys faces.

He and Les hadn't known these boys for more than a year. Why did they care so much?

As if reading his mind, Jack said, "Because you're family. And family's gotta stick together."

Davey hid his smile as he was forced to lie back down, knowing he would be safe.


	2. Nightmares

_He was running. Running as fast as his legs would carry him, but it still wasn't fast enough._

 _"_ _No! Stay away!" he shouted, looking back for only a moment. He suddenly tripped over something and fell on the hard road before him._

 _"_ _Did you really think you could get away that easily, boy?" Snyder spat. He tried to scoot away but it was no use. Snyder grabbed his leg to keep him from moving and raised his hand._

Romeo shot up and screamed. He looked around, breathing heavily with the nightmare replaying.

He was safe. He was in the Lodge House. But he didn't feel safe.

Even though Snyder was in jail after the events of the strike, several of the boys were still plagued with nightmares from their days in the Refuge.

For Romeo, his nightmares had been haunting for the past month. He knew his brothers were starting to worry about him but he couldn't tell them about the nightmares. They were just too awful.

So, he did what'd he'd been doing the past times he had a nightmare.

He quietly snuck out of the room and sat on the bench outside of the Lodge House with his elbows resting on his knees. He stared at the pavement, taking deep, slow, breaths, trying to calm himself.

But the nightmares still replayed.

He stood and kicked at a rock with an angry groan.

"You ok?"

Romeo jumped and spun around.

Racetrack stood by the door of the Lodge House, leaning against it with his hands in his pockets.

Romeo nodded a bit sheepishly but didn't reply.

"Rome, what's wrong? You haven't been getting any sleep, you've barely been selling any papes, and you've barely been eating. You jump at anyone's touch, even Jack's! What going on?" Race asked, pushing off the wall and walking over to his little brother.

Romeo hesitated and Race sat down on the bench, patting the spot next to him for his brother. Romeo sat and stared at his hands as he spilled out his fears and worries to Race, who listened intently.

By the end, Romeo was shaking and in tears from fear. Race took his little brother and pulled him into his lap, letting the younger boy cry.

Race hadn't even known Romeo had been in the Refuge. The kid was only thirteen!

After Romeo had calmed down, he asked, "Romeo, why didn't you come to me or Jack? Or Crutchie? We all would've helped you."

Romeo hesitated again before saying, "I don't know. You guys have enough to think about. I didn't think you needed to think about me too."

"Romeo, wake me up the next time you have a nightmare, ok? I'm a light sleeper and I'll be able to hear you ok?" he said.

His little brother nodded and Race asked, "Are you ready to go back inside?" Romeo nodded again and Race picked up the small boy and together, they went back inside.

By the time they reached Romeo's bed, the younger boy had fallen back to sleep.

Race gently laid him in his bed then went to his bed.

The next night, Race heard a small, scared voice whisper, "Race?"

Race opened his eyes and saw Romeo standing in front of the bed.

Understanding that he had had a nightmare, he got up and together the two went outside until Romeo had fallen asleep against Race.

This continued a few more nights and soon, Romeo's nightmares had vanished.

But each night, Race still checked on his little brother just to make sure.

And when Race would have nightmares, Romeo would comfort him just as Race comforted him.

 **A/N: I think is by far the fluffiest thing I have ever written. Thank you to Theater104 for giving me the idea for a Romeo/Race brotherly one-shot!**

 **If any of you have a favorite character you would like to see in one of the one-shots or a special prompt you would like to see let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!**


	3. The War Part 1

**A/N: Modern AU**

"Who thinks we should prank Jack?

The Newsies (as the group was known as in their school) looked at their fellow brother/friend Racetrack Higgins like he'd grown two heads.

"Prank _Jack_? Have you lost it?" Mush asked, pushing Race's head down as he walked passed.

Race sat back up and said, "C'mon! It's the middle of July, we're all bored out of our _minds_ , and Jack won't be back until later tonight."

It was true. The group was so bored they started a game of who could annoy each other the most. Plus, Jack was out on a date with Katherine at the moment he wouldn't be back until later that day.

"It's better than annoying the daylights out of each other! We'll all go nuts if we stay inside any longer!" Race encouraged, standing from his spot on the couch that had cotton coming out of it.

They all lived in the old warehouse-turned-lodging-house and the heat of the July afternoon was starting to go to their heads.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm in!" Les said, jumping up. "No, you're not!" Davey said, pulling his kid brother back down by the shirt collar.

"Come on Davey! Let the kid live a little!" Race said and Les jumped back up and ran over to Race before Davey could grab him again.

"I'm in too!" Romeo shouted, jumping up and running over. He basically did anything Race did so that was a bit expected by the group.

"You all have a death wish," Davey muttered. "I'm with Davey on this one guys, I'm out," Crutchie said.

He limped over to Davey, who was heading to the kitchen.

"What about the rest of you?" Race asked, eyeing his band of brothers.

"I'm in!" Specs shouted, jumping up.

"Me too!"

"Count me in!"

All of the boys joined into the group and soon, they were plotting their prank.

The boys very well could have had a death wish, or they may have just been highly bored with the 99 degree heat heading to their heads. We may never know.

"So what prank are we going to do?" Henry asked as the group huddled into a semi-lopsided-sort-of-circle.

After two hours of arguing, disagreeing, planning, and ideas thrown all over the place, they finally had it all planned out.

Jack walked into the Lodging House, holding Katherine's hand. He was planning on introducing her to the boys tonight.

Even though she knew a little less than half from school, he wanted her to know his whole family. He was hoping this would go perfectly, but with his band of brothers, you could never tell.

"Boys?" he called, closing the door behind Katherine as the two walked in.

He was greeted with a crash from upstairs. In his room.

It took Jack a second to realize the crash had come from his room, but when he did, he said, "Stay here, I'll be right back." Katherine nodded with a small, amused smile and he ran upstairs shouting, "You imbeciles better not be breaking anything!

He opened the door to his room and before he could comment on the mess, a whip cream can came flying out of nowhere and Jack just barely dodged it.

The boys all stared at Jack in shock, because they hadn't heard him coming running upstairs.

"What are you-?!" he started, walking in. "No, don't!" Les shouted but it was too late.

Jack set off the trip wire, which made something start clicking and before anyone had a chance to do or say anything, a giant whip cream ball came flying out of nowhere and smacked Jack right in the face.

Jack stayed still, from either shock or anger Race wasn't sure. Maybe it was both. . . .

Jack tried to walk forward again, but this time slipped in whatever liquid stuff had been planted on the floor.

The boys winced when Jack hit the floor and rushed over to see if he was ok.

"What. Did. You. Think. You. Were. Doing," Jack asked with eerily calmness.

"It was Race's idea!" the boys shouted, pointing to said prankster. He shot them a look before helping Jack up.

Thinking he was mad, he started to apologize, but to his complete surprise, Jack actually _smiled_ through the whip cream and said, "It's on, Racetrack Higgins."


	4. The War Part 2

Jack looked at his group of brothers with a mischievous smile.

"Alright boys. Racetrack gets home in twenty minutes. We have that long- give or take a few minutes- to pull this off. Who's with me?"

The boys cheered in response.

Of course these were the same group of boys who had been on Race's team while pranking Jack, but they were just in it for the fun of pranking.

And just like before, Davey and Crutchie had made it very clear they were not going to be a part of it. And Katherine wasn't there, because well, if she was, she wouldn't let them do it.

"Alright boys, let's go!" Jack said, clapping his hands and all of the boys scrambled off to do their various jobs.

You see, Race had been very on guard ever since Jack had said 'It's on.' And Jack, being the type of guy he was, had been waiting until the perfect moment to prank said boy.

Why is tonight the perfect time you ask? Well, Jack didn't really have a reason, except for the fact that Race was starting to let his guard down.

The sort of things that were shouted as the prank was set up were the following:

"Jack, where's the whip cream?"

"I can't find the fan!"

"GUYS, BUTTONS GOT HIS HEAD STUCK IN THE BUCKET!"

"Where's the glue?"

"GUY IT'S STUCK! WE CAN'T GET IT OFF! BUTTONS WATCH OUT THAT'S THE-!"

A series of thuds followed Specs' warning to Buttons as said boy fell down the stairs.

"THE BUCKET'S OFF!"

"Found the glue!"

"Finch, did you look in the top cabinet for the whip cream?"

"Yeah! It's not the- never mind!"

Within fifteen minutes, the boys had everything set up were now waiting very impatiently for Race to get home.

"Where is he?" Les groaned.

He was holding onto the string with such excitement/impatience that his knuckles were starting to turn white.

"Relax, he'll be here," Jack said, but even he was starting to doubt their brother was going to be back on time.

"Guys, someone's coming!" Albert whispered and they all hushed as the lights were turned off just as the door opened.

"Guys? I-," a voice started.

The boys, who were giddy with excitement and weren't thinking, didn't take the time to realize the voice wasn't Racetrack's as the flipped the lights on and the prank was set into motion.

As the whip cream fell from the ceiling and feather that had been found soon followed, audible gasps were heard when they saw who it was.

Crutchie's friend was now covered in said prank items while Crutchie stared with his jaw hanging open.

" _Crutchie_?!" the boys shouted.

"What was that?!" he shouted, turning to the boys angrily.

"It was a prank for Race! Who's this?" Jack asked, gesturing to the girl who was covered in whip cream.

She was as still as a statue from either shock or anger.

"Maggie. She just got here and long story short, she needs somewhere to stay," Crutchie explained.

'Maggie' wiped the whip cream from her eyes and looked around in shock.

She was tall, beating Crutchie by a few inches, and very thin. From what could be seen through the whip cream, she had large green eyes and dirty blonde hair.

"What just happened?" she asked.

She had a small Western accent and her voice was very quiet.

"Sorry Maggie. You got placed in the middle of prank war," Jack said.

"I-It's fine. Crutchie, are these the boys you were telling me about?" she asked.

"Yeah. Boys, this is Maggie. Maggie these are the boys," Crutchie introduced.

Maggie waved shyly.

"You got any folks?" Jack asked, staring in confusion.

Maggie's shy smile disappeared and she shook her head slowly.

"Car crash last year," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Jack said softly.

"It's fine," Maggie said and gave a tiny smile through the whip cream.

"Welcome to your new family, Maggie!" Romeo said, throwing his arm around the tall girl's shoulders.

Maggie smiled softly, but tensed at Romeo's touch.

"You'll fit in great, don't worry," Specs said, making Maggie's smile widen.

Race turned up five minutes later and in turn had what was left of the whip cream poured over his head.

 **A/N: That's the end of the prank war! For now…. And you met Maggie! She will be consistent in the one-shots, both past and present. I need to come up with a nickname for her though and I was wondering if you guys could help me with that? Sorry for the wait! My computer crashed and I wasn't able to write then when it was fixed, I had trouble getting motivation to write this.**

 **And Maggie won't be the last OC that's added! Except the other's probably won't be Newsies, they'll come in at later chapters. A few I'm very, very excited to introduce.**

 **Back to Maggie! As you might've noticed, she has a bit of a past that I might or might not get into depending on how much you guys like her character in the next chapter.**

 **I have to get going so TTFN! TA TA FOR NOW! (Yes that was a Winnie the Pooh reference)**


	5. Maggie's Nickname

"Head's up!"

Maggie ducked just in time as a shoe went flying over her head.

"Sorry, Maggie! I was aiming for Race!" Mush called.

"Hey!" Race shouted.

Maggie giggled as the boys rough-housed.

"Newsies, calm down! We're going to get kicked out if you keep this up! Get ready for bed, it's lights out in twenty minutes," Jack called and slowly the boys started getting dressed for bed.

And by dressed, I mean they all became shirtless.

Maggie retreated the upstairs girls' room, wanting to change into the night gown Katherine had given her a few days ago.

It'd been almost two weeks since Maggie joined the band of brothers. So far, it'd been interesting to say the least.

Maggie was in the process of getting the night gown on (she hadn't had much experience with dresses) when she heard footsteps and before she could grab her old clothes to cover up with, Romeo and Finch burst through the door.

"Fellas!" Maggie shouted. They looked over at Maggie and managed to make it out just in time before she threw her boot at them.

This was one of the downsides of living with a bunch of boys. They were always bursting in before she was dressed or something embarrassing like that.

Most of the time they were able to dodge her boots or 'throwing items' and then other times they weren't so lucky.

She'd been tempted to talk to Jack about arranging something about them bursting in, but so far she'd been too shy to do so.

As the days went on, she was warming up bit by bit though.

"Sorry Maggie!" Finch called from outside the closed door.

She sighed then finished getting dressed before going back to the main room, where the boys were in some sort of a pillow fight.

After ten minutes of that Specs had nearly broken his glasses, Mush almost broke his foot, Finch had fallen off the top bunk…. Twice….. Buttons had nearly fallen down the stairs, and Jack confiscated the pillows until bedtime.

"What should we do now?" Maggie asked, perched on top of one of the spare top bunk beds.

The boys thought for a moment and Race suddenly lit up and opened his mouth to say something.

"No," Jack cut him off.

"You don't even know what I was going to say!" Race defended.

"Does it involve fighting, betting, and/or leaving the Lodge?" Jack asked.

Race slumped in his bunk and didn't say anything.

"Alright boys and Maggie. To bed with all of you," Jack said, standing from the bed he was sitting on.

Maggie jumped down from the bed, landing on her feet and called over her shoulder, "G'night, boys."

"Night, Maggie!" they all called back as she went up to her bed.

 _"_ _Miss Margret. I have something for you," the evil, low voice said._

 _"_ _No! Stay away!" she shouted._

 _She ran from her father, turning into an alley._

 _Her father followed as she hit a dead end and turned. "Maggie," a voice whispered._

 _"_ _Stay away! Just leave me alone!" she shouted, frightened tears streaming down her cheeks._

 _"_ _Maggie!" the voice called again._

She shot up out of bed tears streaming down her face and breathing heavily.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're ok. It's ok, you're safe," Jack's soft, soothing voice whispered.

Maggie looked around in a mixture of fear and confusion.

Then she remembered her nightmare and she began shaking uncontrollably.

"Maggie, it's ok," Crutchie whispered, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

It was her, Jack, and Crutchie in the room, making Maggie think the other boys were still asleep.

"Nightmare?" Jack asked.

She nodded, too afraid to say anything.

It wasn't the first time she had a nightmare while she had lived at the lodge. The very first time was awful. She woke up half of the boys and when she woke up, they were watching her worriedly. It'd taken Jack forty minutes to get them out of the room so she could calm down.

"Want to talk about it?" Crutchie whispered.

She shook her head and pulled her knees up to her chest as the silent tears slowed to a stop.

Crutchie sat on the edge of the bed, and just as always, enveloped her in a hug.

They waited until she'd calmed down and fallen asleep again to go back to the roof.

This was one of the upsides. Having someone there to help you through the nightmares.

"Jack, they're getting worse. She was in tears this time," Crutchie whispered as the pair got comfortable on the mats.

"I know, Crutch. I'm hopin' she'll come around soon. She didn't flinch or anything when you hugged her so that must be a good sign," Jack said.

Crutchie nodded but wasn't convinced.

The next morning, Maggie was woken up by Mush running into her room with Race (who was only in his pants) angrily chasing him. "Give 'em back, Mush!" Race shouted.

Maggie yelped in surprise, jumping up to avoid getting landed on as Mush tripped and fell onto her bed.

"Sorry, Maggie! Race, I didn't take them!" Mush shouted, scrambling up and running to avoid the angry boy.

This was another downside.

"Maggie, catch!" Buttons shouted. Maggie looked up in time to see Race's clothes come flying her way.

She grinned and caught them, taking off running as Race changed directions.

"Maggie!" Race shouted angrily as she dodged his attempt to grab her.

"Romeo, heads up!" Maggie shouted, throwing the clothes.

Romeo turned but was still groggy from sleep and didn't catch the clothes.

Finch grabbed them and took off.

Race growled and tackled Finch.

"Alright, alright, enough!" Jack shouted, coming down from the roof.

Specs pulled Race off of Finch, who handed Race his clothes.

"I finally decided on a nickname for Maggie!" Jack shouted and the boys turned their attention to Jack. Maggie watched nervously, wondering if it would have something to do with her nightmares.

Jack opened his mouth to say what it was.

"Everyone, meet Swift!" Jack said.

"Swift?" Maggie asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"Swift! I was watching you last night and a few minutes ago. You're fast, Maggie. Like, really, really fast," Jack said.

"Hey, Swift, want to have a race?" Race asked.

Maggie smiled and said, "You're on, Racetrack."

This was another upside. Being able to just relax and have fun with her family.

 **A/N: Swift is now part of the Newsies clan! What do you guys think of her nickname? I literally could think of nothing else and it sort of resembles her personality…. Right?**

 **Tell me what you think of Maggie/Swift and if you would like to see her in the next chapter. Or if you have a better nickname for her….**


	6. Henry's Secret

Henry limped into the Lodge House, hoping his brothers and sister were asleep by now.

His back ached and the wound on his leg throbbed as he poked his head into the Lodge, looking around.

The lights were off, which was a good sign. To him at least.

He snuck in and cringed at the creakiness of the door as it closed.

Someone laid their hand on his should, making him jump and scream.

"Shh! You want to wake everyone up?" hissed Race.

"Race! What're you doing up?! It's midnight!" Henry whispered.

"I could say the same for you," Race said and Henry could see in the dark the older boy crossing his arms.

Henry shrunk a bit and mumbled, "I-I just got a bit lost, that's all."

Race paused and Henry could practically feel him frowning at him.

"Get to bed, Henry. We have to sell tomorrow," Race said, clapping his brother on the clap, making Henry nearly cry out in pain.

"Henry, are you ok?" Race asked, concern filling his voice.

"I'm fine, Race. I just fell, that's all."

 _I guess that's part of the truth_ , Henry thought to himself.

"Hmm. OK, well get to bed," Race said.

Henry nodded and tried to hide his limping as he went to his bed.

The next morning, Henry was woken to the sounds of Swift's angry yells at Buttons and Albert.

 _They probably ran into her room again_ , Henry thought, as he climbed out of bed and started to dress.

"Henry, how'd you get the gash on you'se arm?" Crutchie asked, limping over to his brother.

Henry glanced down at his arm, groaning internally, having completely forgotten about his wound.

"I just fell yesterday. I'm fine, Crutch," he said, quickly shoving on his shirt.

Crutchie frowned. "Henry, you wouldn't have had a gash that big just from fallin'."

"I fell hard," he added. Crutchie's frown deepened but before he could question it more, Henry walked off.

He didn't want to be rude to his brothers, but he couldn't tell him. He had to handle this himself.

He walked out the door and headed to the distribution center.

"Hiya, Henry!" Les's happy voice shouted.

He ran up to the older boy, slowing down as he caught up with him.

"Hey, Les. Where's Davey?" he asked, turning and seeing no sign of said boy.

"He's talking with Jack and Race. He told me I could come sell with you today! Is that ok?" he asked.

"Les, maybe not today. Why don't you go sell with Elmer? He could use the help." He whispered the last part, making the ten yr. old giggle a bit and say, "Sure!"

Les ran ahead to catch up with Elmer, who was talking with Swift.

Henry sighed happy he could keep his secret safe bit longer. Well, it's not much a secret, more-

Henry grunted as he was pulled into an alleyway by his shirt collar.

"What's up squirt?" Oscar growled.

Henry struggled against Oscar's tight grip.

"Don't even try moving. You're not going to get anywhere," he growled, pushing him harder against the wall.

"Just leave me alone," Henry managed to choke out, his neck being pressed against by Oscar's arm.

"No way, runt. You're too fun to mess with," Oscar said with an evil chuckle.

He threw Henry to the ground, Henry's already wounded arm sliding against the brick wall, re-opening said wound.

"We'll continue this tonight," he whispered as voices of Henry's brothers became closer and closer.

Oscar ran off and Henry scooted back into the shadows of the alleyway so his brothers wouldn't see him. They couldn't find him like this.

Albert, Buttons, and Mush walked by, chatting happily and not noticing the wounded boy in the shadows.

Henry sighed a sigh of relief.

He stood, not giving a second glance to his arm.

He walked out of the alley and down to the distribution center.

"Hey, Henry, where'd you go? You're never late," Albert frowned in confusion.

"I- uh, took a wrong turn," he lied.

Albert shrugged it off, knowing that he himself had done that several times before.

"50 papes," Henry said, laying is money on the counter.

"50 papes for Henry," Wiesel said.

Henry avoided Oscar's deadly glance and gave Morris a small nod and a, "Thank you," before quickly walking off.

Morris frowned in confusion. Henry would normally be very chatty when he picked up his papes. He glanced at his brother, who was watching Henry walk off with an evil glint in his eyes.

Morris frowned, this time in anger, grabbing his older but small brother by the arm and dragging him behind the building.

"What'd you do Oscar?" he said, pressing his brother against the building,

"Nothing, Morris! Get off a me!" he said, shoving his brother's hand off and walking back into the building.

Morris knew it wasn't nothing. He just hoped his brother didn't do anything stupid do get on the Newsies' bad side. He knew it would never turn out well with that army of brothers against them.

Henry had just finished selling his papes and was about to make a break for the Lodge when a hand grabbed his arm, pulling him into the alley once again.

"Ready to finish this thing, runt?" Oscar asked, fists up.

"Just leave me alone, Oscar," he said, starting to walk away.

He suddenly felt a blow to the head and fell unconscious.

"How long has he been like this?" a voice asked.

"I don't know, we found him in the alley," another voice said.

Henry opened his eyes instantly felt a pounding headache.

"Henry," Swift said, worry filling her voice.

"You're lucky you're not dead. We found you in the alley with Oscar Delancey beating you to a pulp! How long has this been going on, Henry," Race said.

"Race, let him wake up first. We need to make sure there's no permanent damage," Swift said, pulling her brother away by the shoulders.

She sat on the edge of the bed, gently touching Henry's now bandaged arm.

"Henry, you know where you are right?" she said, her voice soft.

He nodded softly.

"You know your name?"

Another nod.

"How long has this been going on."

"Two weeks," he mumbled.

" _What_?!" the boys shouted, making Henry cringe.

Swift sent them a glare, then turned back to her brother.

"Henry, why is Oscar doing this?" she asked.

"'Cause he's a jerk," Henry mumbled, turning away.

They were silent.

"Anyone up for selling today?" Jack asked, tiredness filling his voice.

Henry looked out the window, seeing the sun pouring in.

He must've been out a while.

When no one replied, Jack said, "Alright, everyone stay here today."

The boys nodded and Henry started to protest when Albert cut him off saying, "It's all our decision Henry."

"Henry, no moving today, ok? You were nearly dead when we found you," Race said. Henry nodded.

The boys spent the rest of the day turns helping their brother.

And boy was Oscar in for it when the Newsies went out to sell the next day. Let's just say, Morris and the Newsies taught Oscar a very important lesson on what happens when you mess with one of them.

 **A/N: Shout-out to Guest for giving me the idea for this! If any of you have an idea or character or prompt you would like to see, please share! Hope you enjoyed this!**


	7. The Refuge

**A/N: Pre-Strike**

Buttons shot up out of bed, breathing heavily, then wincing.

He'd just gotten back from the Refuge, and was now a wreck. Though, he wouldn't tell anyone else of course. Everyone had been extremely concerned when she'd limped into the Lodge after missing for two weeks.

Snyder had gotten him good though. It was awful. Now he could see why Jack went partially mute after he got back the second time.

Buttons stood and winced. He made it to the door and went to sit on the bench outside.

The memory of the Refuge replayed and he began shaking as sweat dripped from his forehead. He put his elbows on his knees and began taking deep breaths.

"Buttons?"

He jumped and turned.

"Oh, hey Jack," he said quietly.

"Nightmares keepin' you up?" Jack asked, going to sit next to him.

Buttons didn't answer.

"You can tell me what's going on. I've been to the refuge more times than I'd like to admit," Jack said softly, staring into the night.

Buttons turned to Jack, confused. "I thought it was only twice."

Jacks scoffed. "Would you believe me if I told you it was four?"

Buttons eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Are you serious?" he whispered.

Jack nodded softly, no longer looking at Buttons.

"This very first time was when I first got here. I was five. When I got back, Crutchie and Race had come. Our current leader at the time had also left and by the time I got back I was seven, so I took charge. The second time was right after Specs got here. He was really sick so I tried to get some medicine. Problem was, the owner thought I stole it so off to the Refuge I went. When I got back the second time, you, Romeo, and Jojo had come," Jack explained.

"I remember that. You came in all bruised and beat up. Crutchie was freaking out and Race was calling for Mush to get the first aid kit. The three of us had no idea what was going on," Buttons said with a small chuckle.

Jack chuckled softly. "Third was when I was trying to get some blankets for Romeo. You remember that one? You were only seven I think."

Buttons nodded.

"Fourth. Well, that was the worst. Snyder was tired of me escaping, so he tried to get rid of me. For good. I barely escaped and when I did and finally made it back," Jack's voice trailed.

"I remember that one clearly. You looked so bad we were sure you weren't going to make it. Crutchie was so terrified he wouldn't sleep. He got even worse when you wouldn't talk," Buttons said.

Jack nodded grimly.

The two sat in silence.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"The nightmares. Do they ever stop?"

Jack smiled softly, and turned to Buttons, nudging him a bit but didn't answer.

"They slow down yes, but stop? Well, I'm not too sure. Crutchie and Race's have seemed to stop. But Buttons, if you ever need to talk to someone, or sit up with someone until you fall asleep, come get one of us. We don't mind if you wake us up. We've all woken each other up one time or another. Don't be scared to do it. It helps a lot, trust me," Jack said.

Buttons nodded.

"Ready to get back to bed?" Jack asked and Buttons nodded again, yawning sleepily.

"And Jack?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

 **A/N: Well, that turned out more angsty than I was planning. Oh well! Sorry for the unexpected hiatus everyone! Time got away from me. Please give me good and bad feedback on this and the previous chapters! If you have any prompts, characters, or anything you would like to see in the next chapter tell me in the comments! Thanks everyone!**


	8. A Surprise on a Hot Summer Day

"I'm boooored," Les whined.

"Go find something to do then," Race replied, walking past the boy that was hanging off one of the bunks.

"It's too hot," Les replied.

His responds were groans.

It was true. It was a late summer, afternoon and they had all finished selling early today. Problem was, now none of them had anything to do. It was an abnormally hot July evening in 1900 for the boys so it put a damper in their motivation.

"Hey, where's Swift?"

The boys all looked up, noticing their sister was, indeed gone.

"I haven't seen her since we finished sellin'," Specs said.

"Should we go look for 'er?" Henry asked, getting up.

They looked to Race, who was technically in charge at the moment since Jack was out doing something.

"If she's not back by sun down, we'll go search for 'er," he said and the boys nodded.

As if on cue, the door burst open and in came Swift, her pape bag mysteriously full.

"There we are. Wese were startin' to worry," Henry said.

"Hey, what's in the bag?" Albert asked cautiously.

"Are youse sure you want to know?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

"Ise not so sure now," Albert said starting to back up.

Swift quickly pulled out a little ball of something and threw it at Albert, who didn't react in time to catch it, thus soaking him in water.

"I found some water balloons for us!" she said happily.

It took a minute, but once they realized what she said, they all shot up and ran over to her.

"Those things are expensive! A few good dimes at the most! How did you-?" Mush asked.

"Ise been saving up for a day like today. There's enough for each of us to have three, but that's all I could afford so use your ammunition wisely," she said.

The boys each eagerly grabbed three water balloons and (after Finch accidently threw one onto Jack's bed) they decided to take it outside.

"Heads up, Race!" Swift shouted. Race looked up in time to see a water balloon fly straight towards his face.

Swift doubled over in laughter as Race remained deadpanned as the water dripped from his face and hair.

Race took a quick glance behind Swift and smiled.

"Oh, Swift!" Romeo shouted.

Swift turned, still laughing a bit but stopped when she saw what Romeo had and took off running towards her hiding spot.

Henry and Albert were going at it, and Les was having the time of his life chasing his confused brother, who'd only shown minutes earlier.

The war went on until dark surprisingly, not one of the boys over using their balloons. Well, except for Swift but she wasn't technically a boy.

Jack was supposed to be home anytime now, and all of the Newsies had only balloon left.

And they knew exactly how to use it.

So, each of the boys and Swift, waited patiently for Jack to return.

"Where is he?" Crutchie whispered after a bit.

"Ise don't know, he should be back by now," Finch replied.

Once again as if on cue, the door opened.

Not pausing to see who Jack was with, they fired.

Jack stood with his eyes closed and smile gone as he was soaked with water balloons.

Katherine stood in the background, silently laughing until Les accidently hit her with a balloon as well.

"Oh, hi Katherine!" came various responses when they saw the reporter.

"Boys. And Swift. What's this?" Jack asked, his eyes still closed.

"Uh, we was tryin' ta cool off, since today was so hot," Buttons said.

Jack opened his eyes.

"Hey, why are you and Kat holdin' hands?" Race asked with a confused frown.

"Cause they're datin' nitwit," Specs said.

"Then why does Katherine have a ring on?" Les asked.

Their heads all snapped to Kat's hand, which indeed have a tiny ring on it.

Jack and Kat smiled at each other, then look at the group.

"Boys and Swift, wese got some news for ya," Jack said.

The group waited anxiously.

"Wese getting married!"

 **A/N: So yes, I realize that water balloons weren't invented until 1950, but why don't forget logic just for this one chapter? Hehe… Anywho, thank you to TheDarkWitch24 for giving me the idea for this chapter. I sort of changed it up a bit with the engagement but her idea was to have the Newsies relax on a hot summer day. And thus, water balloons.**

 **Anyway, JACK AND KAT'S WEDDING WOOHOOOOO! This is leading up to two very important characters I'm going to introduce. Both are female. One won't be introduced till a bit later, and the other with be introduced in two chapters. So, have fun! If you want to try to guess who they are, leave it in the comments! I'll give you a PM if you get it right.**

 **Feedback is highly appreciated! Thanks for reading my long drawn out note thing!**


	9. Back from the Refuge

**A/N: Pre Strike**

The Newsies sat on their beds, trying to figure out what do to.

Their leader had been missing for nearly a month now, and even though they all knew where he was, no one would admit it.

It was an unsaid decision that they were going to break him out. Tonight.

"What's the first plan of attack?" Race asked, looking up from his hands that he'd been studying for the past twenty minutes.

The group looked at him. "Are wese actually doin' this?" Crutchie asked, his voice quivering.

"We gotta. Jack's escaped the Refuge three times now. Snydeh won't be as friendly now," Mush said, standing.

"Who's comin' with us?" Specs asked, standing as well.

One by one, each of the Newsies stood, ready to break their brother out of the prison.

They ran around the Lodge, trying to gather supplies (rope) when suddenly the door burst open.

All their heads shot up and towards the door.

When they saw who it was, they gasped and cried out, " _JACK_!"

Their brother was all beat and bloodied up.

He would've collapsed if Race and Specs hadn't raced over to catch him.

"Mush, Buttons, and Sniper get his shirt off so the blood doesn't dry to it. Finch and Jojo, get a bucket a' wateh and a cloth. Specs and Elmer, go get Miss Medda. She'll know what to do way betteh than us. The rest of you, find whatever's left of that first aid kit the nuns dropped off a while back," Race ordered.

The band of brothers nodded then ran off to their various orders.

Crutchie watched his best friend worriedly then helped find the first aid kid.

Specs and Elmer burst into Miss Medda's theater, shouting for Medda at the top of their lungs.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down boys, what's going on?" the woman asked, walking up from the stage.

"I-It's Jack. He escaped the Refuge but he hurt. Bad. And we need youse help," Elmer explained.

It took Medda a second to comprehend what the boys said, but once she did, she grabbed a full first aid kit and out they went.

They reached the Lodge in a matter of minutes.

Medda spent the rest of the night cleaning Jack's wounds and trying to keep the boy alive. He was so thin and broken looking, Medda just didn't know anymore.

And poor Crutchie wouldn't leave his best friend's side. In fact, none of the boys did.

They watched Medda work, getting her whatever she needed or didn't already have with her.

It was early next morning when she was finally done.

"Try not to move him, ok? I'll go get you boys some food," Medda said.

The boys only nodded a bit in response.

Medda sighed before leaving.

"D'ya think he can 'ear us?" Romeo asked quietly.

"Probably," Race said.

"Jack? Can ya 'ear us?" Crutchie asked. It was the first time he'd spoken since Jack had shown up.

He grunted and hope flooded the boys.

Then he slipped back into unconsciousness and the boys sighed.

As the day went on, the boys fell into a routine.

They would watch Jack until they fell asleep, wake up the next day, sell their papes, come back, and start the routine over. Medda would always come visit the boys and bring them a bit of food.

That continued until the third week when Jack finally began stirring.

"Fellas! Fellas, I think he's wakin' up!" Crutchie shouted and the boys crowded their injured brother's bed.

Jack coughed a bit before opening his eyes.

A cheer erupted.

"What 'appened?" Jack croaked.

He tried to sit up then cried out.

"Whoa, don't even try to go anywhere, Cowboy. We thought you was a goneh," Sniper said as Jojo gently pushed Jack back down.

"All I remembe' is escapin' Snydeh and somehow showin' up 'ere," Jack mumbled.

"We don' really know what 'appened," Specs confessed.

"We was about to go rescue ya from da Refuge and suddenly you were in da doorway," Romeo said.

Jack nodded, then slowly fell back asleep.

At night he began suffering from nightmares, which made him mute for a bit.

But after a while with help from his brothers, Jack slowly returned to his normal self.

He still suffered from nightmares, but c'mon. I mean, who wouldn't if Snyder the Spider had almost succeeded in killing you.

The boys always helped Jack with his nightmares though, whether he would admit that he had them or not.

Anyway, after a few months, Jack was pulled out of mute state and even had his first nightmare free night when he suddenly heard something.

"'Ey, what're you doin'? The bell ain't rung yet. Go back to sleep," he sleepily said to Crutchie.

"I wanna beat the other fellas to da street. I don' want anyone to see dat I, uh, that I ain't walking so good," Crutchie replied.

Jack stood and said, "Aw quit gripin'. You know 'ow many guys fake a limp for sympathy? That bum leg a' yours is a gold mine."

Crutchie sat and pulled his bum leg over the ladder as Jack slipped his vest and hat on. He wasn't getting back to sleep anyway.

"If someone gets the idea I can't make it on my own, they'se gonna lock me up in the refuge! So be a pal Jack and let me down," Crutchie said and Jack winced at the word 'Refuge'.

Crutchie realized this and said, "Sorry."

"It's fine," Jack said, waving it off.

"'Ey, you had your first night without a nightmare!" Crutchie said happily and Jack grinned.

"It's because a you guys," he said with a smile.

"Nah, it's because we'se a family."

 **Well, that turned out more angsty than I was planning. Shoutout to Thepopcornpup for the idea! This one-shot is based off of what Jack told Buttons in 'The Refuge' when he was talking about the fourth time he made it back from the Refuge.**

 **Anywho, hope you like the little part of from the play! I tried to make it lead up to the strike in one way or another.**

 **Once again, if you have a character, prompt, or anything you would like to see in the next chapter, let me know!**

 **TTFN! Ta ta for now!**


	10. Of Best Friend's and Davey's Girl

"A-Are you serious?"

"Of course! You two are my best pals. It seems right to ask you to be my best men."

Jack, Crutchie, and Davey were sitting on the roof of the Lodge. They'd been up there for almost an hour before Jack finally asked them to be his best men for the wedding, to which both said yes.

Jack grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks, fellas."

"So, uh, what exactly does a best man do?" Crutchie asked.

"Uh, I'm not entirely sure. Ace just told me I had to get a best man and since you two are both my best friends, I asked both of ya."

Crutchie nodded and Jack added, "Ace and I are meeting with the wedding planner tomorrow. You two are welcome ta join us."

The boys nodded and Jack clapped them on the back before saying, "Well we bettah get ta bed. 'Night."

He went downstairs followed by Crutchie.

But Davey was a bit more hesitant.

He'd always known he was part of the newsie's family, but for some reason, this made it all the more real.

With a small smile on his face, he went downstairs and climbed into the bunk.

He and Les were staying at the Lodge for the week since their parents and sister were sick.

The next morning he was woken to the usual shouting, laughing, and running from an angry Racetrack.

"Davey! Davey! Spec s said I could sell with him today. Can I?" Les asked his brother, jumping up and down happily.

He looked over to Specs for approval. Specs had a small smile on his face and nodded.

"Sure, Les. Just stay with Specs and do whatever he tells you, ok?" Davey said and Les nodded, running over to the older boy.

"Could you watch him later today? Crutchie and I have to go do something with Jack," Davey whispered to Specs.

"Sure," Specs said, smiling as he watched Les interact with a sleepy Swift.

"Thanks," Davey said.

He headed out the door after saying a quick good-bye to Les. As he headed to the distribution centre, he thought over what Jack had said last night once again.

 _'_ _You two are my best pals.'_

The last two words in that sentence brought a small smile to Davey's face.

Back when he was still in school, he'd never been that popular. The kids weren't very nice to him-that's sort of an understatement- and he didn't have many friends. Or. Any at all really. So to him, those few words were very important.

Anyway, after a fairly good day of selling, Davey and Crutchie met up with Jack, who met up with Katherine.

The group made it to the wedding planner in a matter of minutes.

After a few minutes of talking, the door opened behind the group and a girl with light brown, short, curly hair walked in.

She had chocolate brown eyes and freckles that covered her face.

"Hey, Kath, sorry I'm late," she said.

"You're fine, Rose. Thanks for coming," Katherine said, hugging the girl.

Maybe it was the way she almost had a bounce in her step, or the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled, or the way she scrunched up her nose when she didn't like something, but whatever the reason, Davey couldn't take his eyes off Rose.

Unbeknownst to Davey, Crutchie and Jack noticed their friend's strange behavior and were nudging each other were mischievous smiles.

"Davey!" a voice shouted.

He jumped and looked over to see Crutchie and Jack staring at him.

"You ok? We'se been callin' you'se name for about five minutes now," Crutchie said.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Davey said.

He noticed both Katherine and Rose were gone. He'd been staring at Rose the whole time.

"C'mon, it's time to go home," Jack said. He was having a hard time fighting the smile from his face.

On the way home, Crutchie and Jack were not-so-subtly trying to question Davey on his thoughts over Rose.

"So, uh, Dave. What do you think 'bout Ace's friend? Rose I think her name was?" Jack asked.

Davey turned a light pink and said, "She seems nice."

"Sure does. You didn't stop starin' at her the whole time," Jack muttered, making Davey turn red and Crutchie nudge Jack in the ribs.

Thankfully, the group reached the Lodge before anymore interrogating could occur.

Problem was, Davey couldn't get Rose off his mind.

The rest of the week, all he could think about was Rose.

It was starting to bother him, so he decided to ask Jack about it.

"Hey, uh, Jack? Could I talk to you?" Davey asked, poking his head up to the roof.

Jack looked up from his drawing and had to bite back a smile as he said, "Sure, Dave. What's on your mind?"

 _'_ _Rose,'_ Davey nearly blurted.

"Uh-I've just been- um- thinking about-," Davey stuttered.

"You've been thinking about Rose?" Jack said and Davey turned pink before sighing and saying, "Has it been that obvious?"

"Dave, it was obvious when you wouldn't stop staring at her ," Jack said with a chuckle, turning his friend bright red.

"Would should I do? I can't stop thinking about her," he said.

 _'_ _Davey, it's called love at first sight_ ,' Jack almost told his friend. Instead, he said, "Have you tried to see her again?"

"No," Davey said, a hint of worry in his voice. Where was this going . . . .

"C'mon," Jack said, standing.

"Where're we going?" Davey asked, standing as well.

"Ta go see your special goil of course!" Jack said.

"What!? No way, Jack," Davey said.

"Davey, you're my best friend. You clearly like this goil so if you like her as much as Crutch and I think you do, you're going to see her," Jack said.

"Jack, please. Not right now, ok?" Davey said and Jack could see it in his eyes he didn't want to see Rose right now.

Whatever the reason, Jack decided to respect it.

"Fine. But Dave, know that you can come tell me 'bout her any time you want ok? I probably bugged you outta your mind with all my mushy talk 'bout Ace," Jack said with a laugh.

Davey laughed and said, "Thanks."

"Anytime. And hey, what're best friends for?"

 **A/N: Well, that was by far one of my favorite chapters. I love being all mushy with Davey! And before you say anything, yes, Rose will return.**

 **Now, I have a question for you all. I have an idea for a certain story involving some actors and actresses from a certain musical that involves dancing and singing Newsboys. If you would like to see a story about the cast of Newsies, please tell me in the comments because I feel like that'd be a really fun story to do.**

 **Also, give me good and bad feedback on this story, and as always, any ideas for characters, prompts, or anything you'd like to see in a chapter.**

 **TTFN!**


	11. Forgetfullness, Spills, and Thrills

Jack Kelly. When you think of the name, I bet terrified is the last word that comes to mind, right? Well, that's basically the only thing was on his mind at the moment.

As Jack waited for his cue to go up to the altar, he twiddled his fingers and ran his fingers through his hair in nervousness.

"Jack, I don't see why you'se so nervous!" Crutchie said, watching his best friend pace.

"'Cause, 'cause, well, what if she changes 'er mind or somethin'?" Jack asked.

"She's not gonna change 'er mind," Specs stated.

For his groomsmen (the boys still weren't entirely sure what that was), Jack chose Specs, Race, and Mush.

"H-How do ya know?" Jack asked.

"'Cause she loves ya! She wouldn't a' said yes if she din't!" Race said.

"I-I know," Jack sighed, stopping and rubbing the back of his neck.

"You have your vows right?" Davey asked.

As the wedding day had grown closer, the boys noticed Jack had started to forget the simplest of things. So Davey, Crutchie, and sometimes Race had had to step in to help.

Jack's eyes widened as he frantically felt around in his pockets. "I knew I forgot something!" he muttered.

"You forgot your vows?!" the boys shouted at him.

He winced and said, "We was in such rush and Romeo lost his tie I din't even think about it!"

The boys groaned and Race said, "Do ya know where ya left it?"

"I think on Romeo's bed," Jack said.

"I can go an' get it," Race said heading for the door.

"Hurry! And make sure Kath doesn't find out!" Davey called after him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Race said, waving it off as he darted out of the church.

Back with the bride, well, she was just as nervous as her groom. If not more.

"Rose, what if he backs out?" she asked as her best friend fixed her hair.

"He's not going to back out, Kath," Rose said with a little smile. Katherine had asked that question about ten times that morning.

"I know," Katherine sighed.

For her bridesmaids, Katherine had chosen her cousin Anne and Swift. Swift and Katherine had become rather close as the wedding day neared. She also chose Ruth (Anne's little sister) to be the flower girl.

"Ten minutes," Darcy said, knocking on the door.

Darcy was walking her down the aisle since her dad hadn't shown up yet. Katherine wasn't sure if he was _going_ to show up, so she asked Darcy to walk her down the aisle of the small church.

Katherine nervously adjusted her beautiful white dress as Ruth helped Rose with the veil.

The dress was white with lace on the upper part and the sleeves. The swirled on the bottom in tiny flowers and as Katherine stood up, the dress dragged a bit on the floor. The veil went to her elbows and as Anne helped Katherine flip the veil over her face, the worries increased.

Did she look alright? Was she underdressed? Was she overdressed? What would Jack think? Would he want to-

Her thought were cut short by Anne handing Kath her flowers. Her flowers were sunflowers and somehow made her and her dress stand out more.

Katherine turned and picked up the water cup that was on the desk and was about to take a sip when Ruth came charging in, shouting about finding something.

The youngest of the five girls, Ruth was so excited and joyous about the day and whatever it was she had found that she didn't stop in time and ran straight into Katherine who spilled the water all over the dress.

"Ruth!" Anne scolded as Swift and Katherine moved to dry the water as quickly as they could.

Ruth gasped and said, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I- I didn't mean to!"

Tears rushed to the six yr. old girl's eyes and Katherine noticed as she quickly said, "Ruth, it's alright sweetie, it's just a bit of water."

Katherine hugged her little cousin and Swift said, "Kath, it's not drying."

Ruth went to her sister and Katherine stood and turned to Swift.

The girls spent the rest of the time trying to get the water out and when Darcy came to inform Katherine that it was time to go, it was still wet.

"Are you sure that was water?" Swift whispered.

Katherine thought for a moment, trying to remember. "I'm pretty sure it was," she whispered as the girls followed Darcy.

"Wait! I had gotten some seltzer earlier because I haven't been feeling very well! I misplaced it and forgot about it! It looks so much like water, that we must've mistaken it for water! I'm sorry, Kath," Rose said.

"Its fine, Rose. I'd rather know what it is than trying to figure it out," she said with a small smile.

The girls waited outside the doors and Darcy held his arm out for Katherine.

"You ready?" he asked.

The music started and Katherine said, "Ready as I'll ever be."

The doors opened and Ruth quickly went down the aisle, trying to avoid everyone's gazes as she threw rose petals on the aisle.

Next went Anne, then Rose, and finally Katherine and Darcy.

When Jack met Katherine's eyes, all worries ceased. She looked so beautiful and he loved her so much. He even got a bit teary eyed. A few worries bubbled up inside of him though once he remembered that Race hadn't gotten back yet. Their friend had been gone for almost fifteen minutes now.

Darcy and Katherine reached the steps and they turned to each other. Darcy lifted Katherine's veil and gave her a big but quick hug before returning to his seat. Katherine went up the steps and handed the flowers to Rose.

The couple smiled at each other, each forgetting their previous worries.

The groomsmen however, were about to send Henry or Romeo after Race. "What if he ran into the Delanceys?" Mush whispered to Specs. "He din't," he paused, "But go ahead and send Henry and Rome after him anyway," he added as the vows neared.

Mush nodded and began inching his way down the steps as Les brought the rings up to the couple-to-be.

Swift did a double take at her brother-like-friend as their eyes met Swift shook her head and mouthed, "What are you doing?"

Mush ignored her began whispering to Romeo and Henry right as the doors flew open and in ran Race, who was covered in chicken feathers.

He ran up the steps, shoved the paper into Jack's hands, then took his spot next to Crutchie. Mush quickly raced back up the stairs and took his spot next to Spec s as the girls and audience gawked at Race.

"Anyway," the pastor said slowly, "now for the vows."

He nodded at Katherine to go first and Rose handed her a paper similar to Jacks, just much less wrinkled and not covered in chicken feathers.

Each of the vows were sweet and adorable and when Jack finished his, all the girls were wiping tears.

"Jack Kelly, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the pastor asked.

"For sure," was Jack's reply, making every grin from ear to ear.

"Katherine Pulitzer, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the pastor asked.

"For sure," Katherine replied, making Jack's grin even wider.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the pastor said.

Jack wrapped his arm around Katherine's waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck as they passionately kissed each other and Jack dipped her.

At the reception, Katherine was made an honorary Newsie by Jack and Davey and she danced with each of the boys. Even Spot, who showed up twenty minutes late. Turns out he's actually a pretty good dancer.

It was when Jack noticed that all of the Newsie boys (plus Swift and Ruth) except Race, Davey, Specs, and Mush had disappeared that he got worried.

He went over to Race, who was laughing at Specs who had accidently stuck his hand in the bird poop on Race's tux. "Hey, where'd the boys go?"

"Uhh," Race said slowly.

Jack narrowed his eyes at the younger boy. "What're you up to, Racetrack?"

Race was saved from having to explain himself when Rose came over and pulled Jack back up to the main table. It was time for the speeches.

Rose's was sweet and loving much like Davey's. Specs and Racetrack shared a speech since they couldn't come up on something by themselves. Theirs was, well, let's not talk about that one. In the end everyone was laughing, except Jack who was trying to bury his red face.

"C'mon! It's time for the surprise!" Ruth said running back inside and grabbing Jack and Katherine by the hand and dragging them out.

"What surprise?" Katherine asked, laughing.

"Just c'mon!" she said and Jack and Katherine followed her along with the rest of the audience.

They went outside and Jojo shouted, "Now Darcy!"

"Fellas, what's going on?" Jack asked slowly.

Before anyone could reply, a loud boom could be heard, followed by several other ones.

The group looked to the sky to see fireworks flying into the air.

Jack and Katherine smiled widely and laughed with delight.

"Romeo, now!" Crutchie shouted and a bunch of the boys and Swift and Ruth began throwing rice at the couple as a carriage pulled up for them.

Jack picked Katherine up bridal style and they ran to the carriage, laughing as rice was thrown at them by their family.

After giving each of the boys and Swift, Rose, Anne, and Ruth a giant hug, Katherine climbed into the carriage.

"Race, you'se in charge," Jack said and Race beamed. "Make sure that doen't go ta his head," Jack whispered to Specs, who laughed and nodded.

He gave each of his boys a giant hug and gave Swift a hug last. "Make sure they stay outta trouble all right?" he told her and she nodded with a smile.

"Bye! Have fun!" the boys called in various ways as the carriage rolled away.

"Race, you have the key to the lodge right?" Specs asked as they watched the carriage roll away.

Race's eyes widened and his smile slowly dropped. He began running after the carriage shouting, "Wait! Hold on! Jack!"

The boys and Swift laughed when Specs held up the key and said, "That's what he gets for letting me put my hand in bird poop."

 **A/N: I loved writing this so much! Sorry I've been gone for so long! Life got in the way and I got distracted…**

 **Anywho, you know the drill. If any of you have any ideas, characters, or plots you would like to see in the next chapter, let me know in the comments! Also give me good and bad (like what I could do differently) feedback please!**

 **TTFN!**


	12. SIP

**A/N: This is a bit of a different one-shot, as it involves the** ** _cast_** **instead** **J** **Enjoy!**

"This is a terrible, horrible, stupid idea. Let's do it and see what happens."

"What?! Are you insane?" Thayne asked.

"Yes, yes we are!" Andrew replied, grabbing his phone.

"Andrew, we're going to get in so much trouble," Ephraim said with a small smile.

"Just grab," Andrew thought for a moment before saying, "Alex, Jess, Steele, Garrett, and Fatica."

Ephraim, Tommy, and Thayne nodded before running off to get the group of men.

Andrew was waiting by the stairs by the time Ephraim came back with the group.

"What exactly are we doing?" Jess asked.

"You know the #SIP thing?" Andrew asked and the boys nodded.

"We're going to go up to the roof and spell that out with our bodies, then take a pic and post it," Andrew explained and the boys looked at each other as smiles crept onto their faces.

"Let's do it," Fatica agreed.

Andrew grinned and said, "Should we get someone to take the picture?"

"Nah, we can set it on the ledge or something," Tommy said and they made the long trek up the stairs.

By the time the group made it to the top, they were beginning to doubt their plan. They made it this far right? No use in turning back.

"So how are we doing this?" Steele asked.

Andrew realized he'd forgotten the most important part. He didn't figure out how they were going to do it. Whoops.

After about an hour (maybe thirty minutes, but who's counting?) the boys had decided how to do it.

After quickly taking the picture and posting it on Instagram, the boys got up and started to head back downstairs, except for the one problem. "Um, Andrew?" Jess asked.

Andrew looked up from his phone and saw Jess tugging on the door. "It's locked. It must've locked when we closed it," Jess said and the boys widened their eyes. Steele and Ephraim began trying to open the door while the other boys tried to figure out what to do.

"Oh no," Garrett groaned.

"What now?" Andrew sighed.

"The backs of our costumes, they're all dirty," Garrett said.

The boy tried to get a glimpse of the backs of their costumes and managed to see some of the dirt and realized they were in for it now.

"Kara's on her way to let us in," Thayne said, putting his phone away.

Ten minutes later, said girl appeared and said, "What were you doing on the roof?"

"Taking an SIP picture. Bad idea," Andrew explained as they went back downstairs.

They got their costumes cleaned up then warmed up for the show, deciding not to ever go to the roof for a SIP again.

 **A/N: Sorry it was so short! This was based on the SIP pic of the boys on the roof and the story Andrew told at the reunion. I made up the getting locked out part. Suggestions are greatly appreciated for the next one-shot! Sorry if I didn't get their personality right.**


	13. Jojo's Prank

**A/N: Pre-Jackrine marriage and Modern AU**

"What did you do?"

"What makes you think we did something?"

"Jojo, you're soaking wet, have bruises all over yourselves, and you're covered in pink glitter," Katherine deadpanned.

"Fine. We tried to prank the Delanceys and it backfired. Can we stay here tonight? The Lodge is too far away and Albert is unconscious and bleeding," Finch said and Katherine noticed said boy was being held up by Henry and Mush.

Finch, Henry, Mush, Albert, Jojo, and Specs had shown up at Katherine's apartment in the middle of the night, soaking wet, bruised, and covered in glitter.

Katherine quickly let the boys in and they laid Albert on the couch.

"Go clean up. I'll wash Albert up," she said, going to the kitchen.

She grabbed a bowl, filled it with warm water then grabbed a wash cloth.

After washing the blood off of Albert's head and arm, the boys came back no longer covered in glitter.

"So explain to me what happened. You said you tried to prank the Delanceys?" Katherine said.

"I tried to tell them it wasn't a good idea," Jojo said in which the boys rounded on him shouting, "What're you talking about?! It was _your_ stupid idea!"

Jojo flinched with a laugh and said, "I was just kidding!"

Finch glared at him before saying, "Jojo had the 'bright idea' to prank the Delanceys and dragged us all into it. The plan backfired horribly and they soaked us."

* * *

 _"_ _Jojo, this is a horrible idea," Specs whispered. The boys waited behind a street corner, anticipating the prank._

 _"_ _Yeah, well you guys went along with it," Jojo whispered back._

 _"_ _Yeah well-," Henry started but was cut off when Jojo exclaimed, "Hush! They're coming!"_

 _They waited in anxious silence as the Delancey brothers began nearing the prank._

 _"_ _Albert, you set the string right?" Jojo whispered and Albert stared at him in confusion._

 _"_ _What string?" he asked._

 _"_ _Th-the string that sets the whole prank!" Jojo exclaimed and Albert widened his eyes._

 _"_ _I didn't know there was a string!" he shouted and the group heard soft chuckling and turned to see the brothers standing before them._

 _And I'm sure you can guess what happened from there._

* * *

"How was the water involved? Because you were all covered in water," Katherine said after Finch finished the story.

"They literally soaked us. They grabbed the buckets of water from the prank, dunked it on us, then beat us up," Specs said and Katherine sighed.

"Jojo, why did you think it was a good idea to prank the Delanceys?" she asked.

"Because we were bored. No one said anything against it!" he defended.

"Jack said it was horrible idea," Mush said.

"Jack knew about this and he still let you do it?!" Katherine shouted.

"Well, not exactly. He didn't actually think- in his words- that we were 'dumb enough to actually do it'. He doesn't know that we did," a voice said and the group turned to see Albert sitting up.

"How ya feeling, buddy?" Henry asked.

"Sore. Hey, at least we know to never listen to Jojo about pranks again," Albert said, earning a laugh from the boys and a "Hey!" from Jojo.

"Well, no more pranks on the Delanceys. Got it?" Katherine asked and they nodded. "Now get some rest. I'll call Jack and tell him where you're all at so he doesn't worry. There are extra blankets and pillows in the closet, feel free to use it. There's food in the cabinets and fridge. You're welcome to get into it but don't eat it all because I literally just went grocery shopping."

"Thanks Kat," the boys chorused.

She smiled as she walked to her room and called her boyfriend.

The Newsies may get on her nerves every now and then, but she always made sure they were safe and fed.

They are her boys after all.


	14. Happy Birthday!

"Alright, Newsies. We only got 'bout two hours to get 'dis done. Romeo, Finch, Les, and Buttons, go find the party decorations. I think Kloppman put 'em somewhere. Specs, Mush, Race, and Swift, go get da cake. Swift make sure those three don't ruin it. Sniper, Henry, Albert, and Crutchie, go get the present I got. It should be in da apartment. Jojo and Elmer, go find the wrapping paper. I know we have some somewhere. Rose, you'se on Ace duty. You know what? Davey, go with Rose," Jack ordered.

Davey turned a light pink and looked at said girl who grabbed his hand and they ran off.

Today was Katherine's birthday and Jack was trying to make it one-hundred percent perfect. She was at work at the moment, so Jack had gathered the Newsies and they were now attempting to organize a party. Newsie Style.

"Come on, Davey, we have to hurry!" Rosa said.

Together they ran and caught Kath just as she was exiting the Sun.

"Rose? Davey? What're you-?" she asked, frowning in confusion.

"Hey, Kath! We came to-uh-, to walk you home!" Rose said, trying to catch her breath without Kath noticing.

"Why?" Katherine asked slowly.

"Cause it's your birthday! You shouldn't have to walk home alone on your birthday!" Rose said, placing one hand on her hip.

She had unconsciously not let go of Davey's hand. Davey however, had noticed. He was trying to keep from turning a light shade of pink.

Katherine noticed Davey's face and her eyes flashed down to rose and Davey's clasped hands.

"Why're you two holding hands?" she asked.

Rose frowned for a quick second in confusion, glancing down at their hands then quickly letting go of Davey's hand before turning bright red.

"Uh-Um," she stuttered.

"Nevermind. I think I'm just going to head home. I have some news for Jack that I-," Katherine started, beginning to walk away.

Davey quickly said, "Why don't you come back to the Lodge with us?"

"Why? And Rose, why're you going to the Lodge?" Katherine asked, turning around.

"To-to visit the boys! C'mon, let's go, Kath!" the bubbly brunette said, grabbing Katherine's hand.

"Rose, what's gotten into you? I haven't seen you this excited in a long time," Katherine said, giving her friend a confused look.

"Oh you know, just happy," she said.

Davey followed the girls somewhat awkwardly, not really sure what to do. Should he try to join the conversation? Would Rose think he was strange? He was cut off from his thoughts when he heard, "Davey, which is the 'best' way to get back to the Lodge?"

Rose was giving him an urging look while Katherine was glancing confusedly between the two.

"Um, this way," he said and he began taking a somewhat long route back to the Lodge.

* * *

Back at the Lodge, things were hectic. Never put Newsies in charge of planning a birthday party.

They'd found the party decorations all right. And were now trying to untangle Les from the streamers.

Swift and the boys had returned from getting the cake which had surprisingly remained un-harmed and after putting it in a high place, they went back out to get plates and spoons from Jacobi's.

Sniper, Henry, Albert, and Crutchie, weren't having much luck finding the present either. But they did find something entirely different.

Something that they felt they weren't supposed to find. A letter to Jack that Kath had wrote, explaining some interesting news.

* * *

Back with Rose, Davey, and Katherine, Rose and Davey were trying everything to keep Katherine distracted and to avoid going back to the Lodge yet. It hadn't even been one hour yet and they were nearly back.

"Hey Kath, why don't we go into your favorite shop?" Rose asked as they passed said shop.

"Alright, but only for a little bit," she said and Rose smiled happily, dragging her friend into the shop.

Davey waited outside after seeing it was a dress shop. He spotted Jojo and Elmer running to the Lodge across the street.

He waved his arms and when they spotted him, they ran over.

"What's wrong?" Jojo asked.

"Kath is getting suspicious. Rose is stalling her but it won't last long. Go tell Jack that they need to hurry," Davey said and the brothers nodded.

* * *

"We found da wrappin' paper!" Elmer shouted happily as he and Jojo ran back into the Lodge.

Jack took the paper from Elmer as Jojo explained the situation.

"Crap," he muttered, glancing at the group that was still untangling Les.

"What happened ta him?" Elmer asked.

"He wasn't careful with da streamers. We'se been tryin' ta get 'im untangled for da past twenty minutes," Jack explained.

They heard a crash and everyone hushed and turned to see Specs covered in cake. He'd been knocked into the shelf they put it on and was now covered in chocolate cake.

Jack groaned and flopped onto the bed just as Sniper, Henry, Albert, and Crutchie came back, having finally found the present.

* * *

Back with Rose, Davey, and Katherine, the two were no longer able to stall her and they were now heading to the Lodge, Rose and Davey praying they'd gotten everything finished.

When they opened the door however, they saw a cake covered Specs, Les, who had finally been untangled, was eating the cake off of Specs, Jack was giving frantic orders and trying to get the decorations set up, and the boys were trying to clean up the mess.

Once the three entered however, everyone stopped.

"HAPPY BIRThday!" the boys shouted uncertainly.

"What's all this?" Katherine asked, a smile growing on her face.

"A surprise party of da sorts," Jack said.

After a moment he went over and kissed his wife, who's face had broken out into a large smile.

"You guys did all this for me?" she asked.

"'Course! You'se an honorary Newsie after all!" Mush said, making happy tears glisten in Katherine's eyes.

"I love you all," she said and the boys smiled.

* * *

They celebrated the rest of the night, until Sniper, Henry, Albert, and Crutchie pulled Katherine aside and questioned her about the letter they'd found, making her go lightly pink.

"Uh, um, well, uh, how much did you-did you read?" she asked.

"Most of it," Sniper answered.

She sighed, "I'm going to tell Jack. I was actually going to tell him tonight –whoa!"

She was cut off as the boys 'gently' shoved her towards her husband, who caught her, both of their eyes widening before they both smiled.

She gave him a light kiss before whispering in his ear the news.

It took a minute for it to sink in, but once it did he stuttered, "I-I'm gonna be a father?"

Katherine stood and nodded, a grin on her face.

Jack's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Jack? Cowboy, you ok?" Race asked.

"I'm gonna be a father," he muttered.

"What was that?" Race asked.

"I'm gonna be a father!" Jack shouted happily, making the boys plus Swift and Rose pause for a moment.

Then, all of the sudden, a cheer erupted so loud that Brooklyn would've been able to hear it. The Newsies were so happy that none of them slept that night, they all stayed up partying the fact they were going to be uncles and an aunt.

 **A/N: I hope you guys liked that one! It was fun to write.** **J** **Anywho, you know the drill. Tell me what you would like to see and what you think I could do better. Also, I want you to vote on whether the Kelly Baby should be a boy or girl.**

 **Thanks guys! TTFN!**


	15. Newsies Game Night

**A/N: Modern AU**

"I thought we weren't allowed to have any more game nights?"

"Jack changed his mind. Something about 'we're more mature now'."

Romeo scoffed. "Yeah right. Race, you can't go two hours without getting into an argument 'bout something."

Race rolled his eyes at his brother and ignored the comment, pulling the dusty games out of the just as dusty cabinet.

"Hey, where's Apples to Apples?" Race asked, poking his head inside the cabinet and looking around.

"Jack banned that. Remember last time?" Romeo reminded.

Race replayed the memory in his head, before waving it off. "Ah it's fine. I know where Jack puts all the 'banned' stuff. Like Jack said. We're mature now."

Romeo groaned before following his brother up the stairs and to the attic.

The two boys were trying to prepare for a 'Family Game Night' that Jack had called to order minutes prior. Last time the boys had a game night Jack banned it for reasons that no one is allowed to speak of. He also banned several of the games for good reasons, but as Race said, he knew where all those were.

They reached the attic and Romeo followed Race to a corner. Race lifted a sheet and pulled out a sandy box. Race blew the dust off causing the two boys to cough.

The dust cleared and the label read, 'Apples to Apples'. Race grinned and grabbed Scrabble, Twister, and Candy Land as well. Yep, Candy Land. The boys didn't care that it was a toddlers' game, they loved it.

"I still think this is a bad idea," Romeo mumbled, following Race back downstairs.

"Aw c'mon, Rome, live a little. Jack's not gonna care."

Two hours later the boys and Swift had dug up almost any game they could find in the Lodge and were now arguing over which to play first. The door opened causing a few of them to stop arguing and turn.

Jack, a four month pregnant Katherine, and Rose walked in, all grinning and laughing at something one of them had said.

Jack's eyes fell upon the pile of games and his smile faded, replaced by a glare at Race and Romeo.

"I thought we banned Apples to Apples, Scrabble, Twister, and Candyland," he asked the boys.

"Jack you said yourself. We'se matured. We can handle these games," Crutchie said.

"But last time with the-."

"We agreed to never speak of that!" Mush shouted, his face turning red.

Katherine and Rose glanced at each other then back at the group.

"You don't want to know," Davey told the girls, as his and the other boys faces reddened as well, recalling the memory.

"Anyway, Jack that was in the past. You said it yourself we matured. We gots this!" Buttons said.

Jack was really regretting saying that. But he sighed and said, "Fine."

The boys and Swift cheered and. resumed their argument about what game to begin with.

"Alright, alright. Hey. HEY! Listen up! Rose is the guest tonight so she gets to pick what game we start with," Jack said and Rose turned pink as the group turned to her.

"Uh, do you guys have Twister?" she asked.

Henry held the game up and Rose grinned. "Let's play that one. It's my favorite."

The boys that had been arguing to do Twister first cheered and Henry set it up.

You see, the original Twister mat sort of got ruined because it doesn't exactly fit sixteen teenagers, so they made their own.

Basically they got a tarp and spray painted the circles on. But hey, it worked. "Are we playing Newsies Twister or regular?" Jack asked, grabbing one end of the tarp. He and Henry spread it out.

"Don't say Newsies Twister. Don't say Newsies Twister. Don't say Newsies Twister," Davey begged under his breath.

"Let's play Newsies Twister!" Crutchie said.

Davey groaned as the boys cheered and Albert ran to get the 'supplies'.

"What's Newsies Twister?" Rose whispered to Davey.

He started to explain when Albert came running back with shaving cream and food dye, making Rose's eyes widen. Soon she got the idea and grinned, enjoying the game.

Davey joined in as well, but will deny he joined because Rose asked him to.

Katherine wasn't able to play and neither was Crutchie, so the two watched and kept track of who fell and called them out just to make sure they didn't try to get back up.

After a very messy three rounds of Newsie Twister, they played Apples to Apples, much to Jack's dismay. He didn't like the game because of what happened last time. ("Don't speak of it!" Mush shouted.)

Apples to Apples was banned once again, but this time because of Albert and Henry. The two had clearly planned it, but it still took everything in Jack to keep him from burning the game.

Next was Candyland. Jack couldn't remember why they banned this game, the only reason he could think of was that it always caused fights to breakout between the boys where someone would end up with a broken nose or busted lip and black eye.

Thankfully that didn't happen this time, but he almost thought it would between Race and Specs.

Anyway, the next game they played was Truth or Dare. Katherine wasn't sure if this counted as game, but to the boys it did so she let it be.

"Remember guys. No personal Truth questions and no inappropriate Dares," Jack said before sitting next to Katherine.

The boys and Swift nodded, murmuring their agreements.

"Alright I'm going first! Race, truth or dare?" Les asked.

Race didn't miss a beat as he answered, "Dare."

"Go eat the expired Cheetos in the cabinet," Les grinned mischievously.

Race matched Les' grin and left for the kitchen, returning a few minutes later munching on a bag of Cheetos. A few of the boys made gagging noises. It was over four months expired.

"Anyway. I'm next. Crutch, truth or dare?" Romeo asked.

Crutchie tossed the question around in his head for a second before saying, "Truth."

"Who was your first kiss?" Romeo asked.

Crutchie turned red. "Does that count as a personal question?" he asked Jack.

Jack was snickering and shook his head. "Nope."

Crutchie scowled at his best friend before saying, "I haven't had my first kiss yet."

Much to Crutchie's surprise, none of the boys really reacted to this and they continued the game.

"Specs, truth or dare?" Race asked, his mouth full of Cheetos.

Specs wasn't really sure which was to choose. With Race, it could be bad either way. "Tru- no, dare!" he corrected himself.

Race grinned evilly and Specs immediately regretted his decision. Race glanced at the window and did a double take before his grin widened.

"Go stand out in the rain for three minutes," he said.

Specs shrugged and stood. It wasn't as bad as he thought. He was so wrong. It wasn't regular rain. It was freezing rain. For whatever reason the weather didn't understand the word 'Autumn'.

He came back in three minutes later freezing.

"M-M-My turn-n. El-Elmer. Truth or d-d-dare," Specs shivered, taking back his seat next to Mush.

Elmer thought for a second. He knew Specs well enough to know he wouldn't do anything too horrible, so he said, "Dare."

Specs thought for a moment then said, "Go eat the expired ice cream in the fridge."

Elmer groaned then got up and went to the kitchen.

"My turn! Davey, truth or dare?" Rose asked.

Davey blushed and said, "Truth."

Rose racked her brain for a good question. Finally finding one, she decided not to ask this one in front of the boys and whispered to Jack, "Can the Truth be in private?"

Jack frowned. "What is it?"

Rose whispered him her question and he grinned before nodding.

Rose grabbed Davey's hand and ran upstairs just as Elmer returned with a vanilla ice cream carton.

"Alright while they're doing that, my turn. Kath, truth or dare," Mush asked.

Katherine desperately wanted to pick dare but knew she probably wouldn't be able to do whatever it was because of the baby, so she said, "Truth."

"Is the Kelly offspring a girl or boy?" Mush asked, catching the attention of the rest of the group.

"Nice try, Mush. Not telling until the party," Katherine said and Mush groaned, "It was worth a shot."

Rose and Davey returned, both smiling and sat back down.

"What was her question?" Les asked.

"Does he like me," Rose replied.

"And his answer?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Davey whispered bashfully.

"And are the feelings mutual?" Katherine asked, grinning.

"Yes," Rose repeated, causing a few shouts to erupt in the group such as, "YOU OWE EM $20!"

"Hush!" Jack exclaimed.

"My turn. Jack, truth or dare?" Crutchie asked. "Dare," Jack replied.

Crutchie wasn't the best at picking dared, but he had the perfect one for his best friend. "Got to Spot's place and do a cowboy dance."

Jack wished he picked truth. He groaned and ignored the laughter as he stood and left.

"I'll get it on video for proof!" Romeo shouted, following Jack out the door.

They ended the game five minutes later after Jojo broke the 'no inappropriate Dares' rule and the group began playing Charades instead.

An hour later, Jack returned as red as a tomato and Romeo laughing so hard tears were streaming down the young teenager's face.

"I wanna see the video! Let me see!" the boys shouted, stampeding Romeo for his phone.

After the boys saw it, Jack deleted the video.

Anyway, Game Night was ended after they attempted one more round of Apples to Apples. Jack actually did burn the game this time.

Jack now remembered why he'd banned Game Night.

* * *

 **A/N: That turned out longer than I was expecting. Any who, you guys know the drill. Comment good and constructive reviews and vote on Baby Kelly's gender. The next one will be a Thanksgiving special! TTFN!**


	16. Thanksgiving

**A/N: Modern AU**

Thanksgiving. When you think of the holiday, you think of friends and family coming together and having a good time, all eating, laughing and relaxing with one another, right? Well, I can't say that's exactly what was going on for the Newsies.

"YOU DID _WHAT_?!"

"We invited my dad over for Thanksgiving. Hey, we didn't want to either, but I wouldn't forgive myself if I left him alone on Thanksgiving. When my mom passed, it was just the two of us. I don't want him to be alone. And don't worry, he's promised to be on his best behavior," Katherine explained.

The boys and Swift groaned. "Kath, he does realize it's at the _Lodging House_ , right?" Romeo asked.

"Yes, why?" Katherine asked, frowning a bit.

"I don't think he'll like this place very much. I mean, it does kind of have a weird smell to it," Romeo said and the group nodded.

Katherine and Jack rolled their eyes. "C'mon guys. I want to be close to him when the baby is born. "

The group looked at each other and sighed before mumbling their agreements to the plan.

Katherine smiled happily and said, "Now, I want you all to be on your best behavior. Race, Albert, and Henry, no pranks or anything, you hear? Swift, Les, and Romeo, no scaring him away."

The group mumbled, "Yes, Kath."

Katherine smiled and Jack assigned the food orders.

* * *

The day came closer and closer, and soon it was Thanksgiving. The group and forgotten about Pulitzer coming and were currently arguing over which football team was the best. Davey was watching the argument with slight entertainment while making sure the turkey didn't burn.

Jack and Katherine had promised to be there in about ten minutes with Pulitzer and Davey seemed to be the only one to remember that he was coming.

Swift had given up on her debate with Mush and walked over to Davey, arms crossed. "Lose your argument?" he teased.

"Shut up," she mumbled, but cracked a small smile as she shoved her brother in the shoulder.

He chuckled and she asked, "Have you ever met Kath's dad before?"

"Once. Not formally, but we know of each other. We sort of met during the strike. Haven't spoken to him or seen him since. Honestly, I'm surprised Kath talked Jack into inviting him," Davey explained.

"I'm pretty sure it was a mutual talking-into. Neither of them seemed to want him here," Swift replied.

Davey nodded in agreement, remembering the hesitant looks on the couple's faces.

"So, how're things with that girl that Kath's friends with? Rose was it?" Swift asked, the corners of her mouth turning upwards.

Davey blushed and began to reply when the door opened and Katherine and Jack walked in, Pulitzer following.

The arguing boys didn't pay any attention to them, but Davey grabbed Les by the shoulder as he and Swift went to introduce themselves.

"Hey guys, glad you could finally make it," Swift smiled at Jack and Katherine. The two hugged the young girl and she turned to Pulitzer.

"I'm Maggie. You're Katherine's dad right?" she asked.

He nodded and she held out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

He glanced at her hand before stiffly shaking it.

He turned to Davey and Les. "And who might you be?" he asked, voice stiff.

"I'm David and this is my kid brother, Les," Davey explained.

"Hiya!" Les smiled.

Pulitzer cracked a tiny smile at the ten yr. old and said, "Nice to meet you."

Les grinned and said, "You too!" before running back to the arguing boys.

"Dad, I'm sure you know most of these boys, right?" Katherine asked.

"Actually, I can't say that I do," Pulitzer said.

Katherine glanced at Jack, who nodded and shouted, "Guys! C'mere!"

The group slowly stopped arguing and looked up before trickling over to the small group.

"Joe, this is Mush, Specs, Race, Sniper, Jojo, Elmer, Albert, Jojo, Finch, Henry, Crutchie, Buttons, and Romeo," Jack explained.

Pulitzer blinked, then regained himself and asked, "Was that in oldest to youngest?"

Jack nodded and Pulitzer copied before saying, "Nice to meet you all. I know we didn't get off on the right foot, but I'd like to start over if that's ok with you."

The boys and Swift looked at each other before nodded. Mush said, "We'd like that too."

Pulitzer nodded and the boys resumed arguing. Crutchie limped over, his famous lopsided smile on his face, and started up a conversation with Pulitzer.

Swift soon joined and soon the three were talking happily.

Katherine smiled, clearly pleased and said, "That went better than I was expecting."

Jack looked proud of his boys and Swift then went to make sure Davey didn't burn himself getting the turkey out of the oven.

Katherine sat on the falling apart couch, watching football argument.

The group enjoyed themselves and each of the boys talked to Pulitzer a little bit, making sure he felt welcome.

They weren't happy that he was here, but he did want to start over, so they'd start over as well.

Pulitzer enjoyed himself much more than he thought he would, talking to the boys and Maggie. Maggie reminded him a bit of when Katherine was younger. The teen was only sixteen, but she was very similar to Katherine when she was teenager. He felt a special connection with her enjoyed talking with her. She seemed to enjoy it as well.

"So do you know if the baby will be a girl or a boy yet?" Pulitzer asked his daughter and son-in-law. "Yes, but we're not telling anyone 'til the reveal party, which is a week away. You're invited to that by the way," Katherine said and Pulitzer smiled.

"Hey Joe, wanna watch the game? I don't really get what's going on but Buttons and Romeo said they'll explain it to me," Les asked.

Pulitzer looked down at the young boy, hesitated, then nodded. Les grinned from ear to ear and took Pulitzer by the hand, dragging him to the sagging couch where they sat and Buttons and Romeo explained what was happening.

"I'm glad we invited him," Katherine whispered to her husband, watching her father laugh at something one of the boys did.

"Me too, Ace," he smiled, kissing her on the head.

"Hey Joe, wanna play Apples to Apples?" Race asked, grinning.

"I THOUGHT I BURNED THAT GAME!" Jack shouted, chasing Race around the Lodge as the boys, Swift, Katherine, and Joe laughed.

* * *

 **A/N: That one turned out a lot more lighthearted than I was planning. Instead, I decided to save the not-so-lighthearted stuff for the next one. Heh, uh, get ready for the next one.**

 **I've decided that Tuesdays will be my 'Updating Day' so get ready. I'll try my hardest to get one up every Tuesday. Feedback is much appreciated! You guys know the drill. Tell me what oneshots you'd like to see.**

 **I've got one for Baby Kelly coming soon. Baby Kelly should arrive in April, but I don't think I'll have the patience for that and I might speed things up, but I've got a nice fun one for his/her arrival. I'm keeping the gender and name a secret. Sorry y'all!**

 **ANYWHO! TTFN!**


	17. Swift

"Swift, heads up!" a voice shouted.

Swift turned from her conversation with Race and caught a boot as it flew towards her. She handed it to Romeo who smiled. "Thanks, Swift," he said before walking off.

"You ok? Normally you woulda run off with it," Race asked.

Swift nodded, wrapping her arms around her waist. "I'm fine," she mumbled.

Race frowned and said, "Really? Cause you don't look fine."

Swift looked up at him and Race could see she was on the verge of tears. Race gently took her arm and led her up the stairs and to her room.

He closed the door and they sat on her bed. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

"Um, today's, well, t-today's the day my parent's died. An-and I just found out my older sister's still alive," Swift explained.

Scared and confused tears began streaming down Swift's cheeks. "Is your sistah – ya know- like ya dad?" Race asked.

Race and Jack were the only ones that knew how Swift's dad was. In a few ways, he was a lot like Snyder. In a bad way.

Swift shook her head. "We- we was super close. I thought she'd died in da crash though. She-she came to me earlier today and said she's engaged. Race, she wants me to move in with her fiancé."

Race could see Swift was torn in two. He didn't exactly want the girl to leave, but he wanted her to be happy.

"Maggie, is this somethin' you wanna do?" Race asked gently.

"I-I don't know! Race, what do I do?" Swift cried. She put her face in her hands, full on crying now. Race wasn't sure what to do. This was normally Jack's thing.

He pulled Swift into a hug and she cried on his shoulder.

"Maggie, hey, look at me," Race said after minute, holding her up at arms' length.

She looked up at him, her large, forest green eyes looking hopeful yet worried.

"Would you be happier with your sister than you are here? Don't try to tell me you'se happy here, Maggie, I know you like the back of my hand. Would you be happier with ya sister?" Race asked.

Swift thought carefully. She loved it here, but she knew Race was right. This place was amazing an all, but it wasn't for her. It didn't make her happy like being with her sister would.

She nodded and sadness flashed over Race's face for a quick second before he hid it. "Then I think ya should live with ya sister and her fiancé," he said softly.

"I don't want to leave everyone though," she whispered.

The friends hugged and stayed that way for a minute. Yes, they'd developed crushes on each other. But neither knew the feeling was mutual.

They separated and Race said, "I don't want ya to leave either, Maggie, but I want ya to be happy."

Swift smiled and said, "Thanks, Race."

Race smiled and said, "Anthony."

She frowned a bit in confusion. "What?"

"Anthony. My real name is Anthony Brown," Race said.

"Really?" Swift asked, surprised. Race nodded. "I knew your real name. You might as well know mine."

Swift smiled, then softly planted her lips on Race's before separating. She saw Race's shocked expression and her smile dropped. "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that," she muttered. Race snapped out of it and smiled before pecking Swift on the lips. "You'se fine," he replied.

Now it was Swift's turn to be shocked. She quickly snapped out of before saying, "Uh, when do you think I should tell the boys?"

"When does ya sister want you to move in?" Race asked.

"Tomorrow," Swift said sheepishly.

Race's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Uh, you might wanna tell them right now. I'll get Crutch and Jack."

Swift nodded and went back downstairs.

"Swift, you ok? You look like you'se been cryin' or somethin'," Romeo asked, frowning a bit.

She nodded but didn't verbally answer.

Race came back with Jack and Crutchie a few seconds later and Swift told the group her news.

The group erupted and Swift turned to Race. "I knew I shouldn't have said I'm leaving," she muttered before running back upstairs. "Maggie, hold on," Race said.

He ran after her and grabbed her by the arm before gently taking her back downstairs.

"HEY! Listen up!" Race shouted and the group hushed. "Look, I don't want Maggie to leave eithah, but if she wants ta be with her sister, then we gotta let her."

The group looked at each other, shocked. They'd never heard talk like that before with so much care in his voice. Maggie however, was smiling softly at Race. "Thank you," she whispered, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

This caused the boys to start whooping and shouting various things, making Race and Swift laugh.

"So when does ya sister pick ya up?" Jack asked when the boys had calmed down. "Tomorrow, at lunch," Maggie said, bracing herself for another eruption. Instead, the boys looked at each other, then Sniper said, "Well I guess we'll have to have a goin' away party tonight then."

Maggie smiled and said, "Really?"

"'Course! You'se our sister too!" Buttons said, jumping on her in a hug.

She laughed then hugged him.

The group spent the night talking, laughing, crying, and just having fun with one another.

* * *

The next day came and Maggie's sister showed up at the Lodge. She looked exactly like Maggie, just taller and slightly older. A man was with her and he had a kind smile, short dark brown hair, and soft blue eyes. He had his arm around Maggie sister's waist and the couple were smiling largely.

"Hey little sis," Maggie's sister said.

Maggie smiled and ran to her sister, hugging her tightly.

She let go and said, "Oh, um, boys, this is my sister, Claire. Claire, these are the boys."

Claire smiled at them and said, "Thank you for taking care of my sister."

They nodded and gave Maggie a hug. "If you ever wanna visit, we're always here, ok?" Jack said. Maggie nodded and Jack saw tears in her eyes. "I'm gonna miss you guys," she said.

"We'se gonna miss you too," Henry said.

"Bye guys," she said, hugging them one last time.

When she reached Race, the two paused awkwardly. "Maggie, I-," Race started.

Maggie kissed him and the two ignored the whoops and cheers from the boys.

"I'll miss you, Anthony," she said softly when the two separated.

"I'll miss you too," he said softly.

She hugged him, then left with Claire.

"You ok?" Mush asked Race gently after Swift had left.

Race nodded. "I'm glad she's happy," he said softly and gave Mush a small smile.

Mush grinned and wrapped his arm around his younger brother's shoulders. The two went inside and the boys awkwardly continued with their day. They'll definitely miss Maggie, but they'll make sure to visit her every now and then.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that's that. Maggie's gone. For now. I might bring her back when Baby Kelly is born.**

 **And I definitely gotta bring her back to see where her and Race go. ;) I hope you guys liked this. It was a long and hard debate with myself to decide if I should make Maggie leave. In the end (as you can see), I decided to go ahead and make her leave.**

 **If any of you really, really liked Maggie, don't worry like I said she'll make an appearance in future oneshots.**

 **Tell me what you guys would like to see in the next oneshot and please give feedback in the comments!**

 **TTFN!**


	18. First Impressions

**A/N: Pre-Strike.**

* * *

"Crutchie, c'mon!" little seven yr. old Jack shouted.

Little five yr. old Crutchie limped after his best friend, the two boys running as fast as their legs would allow.

Jack did a double take at an open door and grabbed his best friend by the arm, practically dragging him inside.

The two heard the angry store owner run past before sitting on the floor, catching their breath.

"You'se ok?" Crutchie asked, his voice quivering slightly.

Jack nodded. "You?"

Crutchie nodded and said, "How far away is da Lodge?"

Jack shrugged. "I'se never been here before."

The five year old slowly got up, leaning heavily on his crutch. "How's your leg?" Jack asked, standing as well.

"It's fine," Crutchie muttered, looking around the large theater.

Jack saw another hall and said, "C'mon."

"Jack you'se sure this is a good idea?" Crutchie asked but he followed Jack anyway.

"It doesn't even look like anyone's here," he whispered.

The two went down the hall and somehow made it to a large stage. "Whoa," both boys breathed.

"Crutchie, look!" Jack said, running over to something.

Crutchie turned from his awe of the large place and looked at his best friend, who was in front of a very messily painted back drop.

"Jack, don't. W-we don't know who this belongs to or-or."

"Crutchie it'll be fine. It need the help," Jack said as he picked up a paint brush.

After about ten minutes, he'd touched up the back drop and added a little – as he put it – 'Jack Kelly style to it'.

Crutchie began to say something when they heard footsteps along with two people talking. "Crutch, c'mon!" Jack whispered.

The two took off and ran back outside, somehow finding their way back to the Lodging House.

"Where've you two been?" eight year old Specs asked, looking up from his card game with eight year old Race.

"Got chased by the bulls," Jack explained.

"We found a theater," Crutchie added.

The boys shrugged and continued their previous activities.

Two days passed and Crutchie and Jack somehow found their way back to the theater. Jack was itching to paint another backdrop, and once he saw another messy one, he couldn't resist.

* * *

That continued for about two weeks before the boys were finally caught.

"So. You're the two that've been fixing my back drops," a voice said, causing Jack and Crutchie to jump and spin around, seeing a woman standing behind them.

"Run!" Jack shouted. The brothers began to run off when the woman stopped them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. I'm not gonna hurt you," she said, kneeling down so she was eye-level with the boys. Crutchie hid behind Jack, who put a protective arm in front of him.

"Please don't take us to the Refuge," Crutchie said quietly.

The woman's face softened. "I'm not going to take you to the Refuge. Where's your boys folks?"

"They died a few years ago," Jack said quietly. "Mine sent me away cause a' my leg," Crutchie muttered.

The woman's face softened even more and she instantly felt bad for these two. "Are you Newsies?" she asked.

They nodded.

"I'm Medda. Medda Larkin. What're your names?" she asked.

"I'm Crutchie. This is my brother Jack," Crutchie said. He wouldn't come out from behind Jack, but poked his head out a little more.

"Nice to meet you. Jack, I'm assuming you're the one who's been fixing my backdrops for me?" Medda asked.

Jack nodded and quickly said, "I'm sorry, Miss Medda. I won't do it again."

Medda chuckled softly. "It's alright, Jack. They've actually been much nicer since you've been fixing them. You're quite the artist."

Jack grinned. "Thanks!"

She nodded softly and Crutchie had fully come out from behind Jack now.

"Tell you what. You boys stop by once and a while, and Jack you can paint my backdrops as much as you want. Only, if you stay and talk with me for a bit. I get lonely, you know," Medda smiled.

"Deal!" Jack grinned.

The two shook hands.

"Well, I'll see you next time then, Jack. You two, Crutchie. And feel free to bring any of your friends. The more the merrier, am I right?" she asked. The brothers nodded, smiling as Medda stood back up.

"Bye, Miss Medda!" Jack and Crutchie said in unison before leaving.

Medda never had kids of her own, but ever since she met the Newsies, she felt like she did.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope y'all liked this one! It was fun to right the little Newsies. You know the drill. Any characters, prompts, or anything of the sort put in the comments below! I'd love some feedback on this chapter! Next week's will be a very special Christmas one! Swift might even make reappearance. :)**

 **TTFN!**


	19. Newsies Christmas Party

**A/N: Modern AU**

* * *

Christmas. I bet when you think of the holiday, you think children running to the tree in the morning, ripping presents open, spending time with family members, delicious food, and forgetting any quarrels you've got. Well, I can't exactly say that what was happening for the Newsies.

"JINGLE BELLS! JINGLE BELLS! JINGLE ALL THE WAY! OH WHAT FUN IT-!"

"Romeo, I swear if you don't stop singing that song I'll-!"

"Race," Jack said in a warning tone.

Romeo paused before belting, "WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS! WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS! WE-!"

Romeo ducked just in time to avoid a flying pillow from Race. "Alright, alright," he muttered, holding his hands up in surrender.

Christmastime for the Newsies was a busy one. They were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus, while also getting ready for their annual Christmas party. Even Spot and Smalls were coming this year! Joe was also coming and he seemed rather happy about it when Jack approached him about it.

"Alright, boys! Here's the assignments!" Jack called, standing on top of the table, "Race, Romeo, Buttons and Crutch, you'se in charge of getting' the tree. Finch, Henry, Elmer, and Albert, you'se in charge of getting the food. No pranks in the food. Specs, Mush, Jojo, and Sniper, you'se in charge of decorations."

"What about me?" a voice asked, causing the group to turn. Swift stood in the doorway, brushing snow out of her hair but smiling widely. "Swift!" the boys shouted, running and hugging their sister. "Wow, I guess you missed me," she laughed, hugging them. "You'se just in time, Swift. You can help Finch, Henry, Albert, and Elmer. I gotta go help Ace with something, but I'll be back later," Jack said.

Jack gave a quick wave before pulling on his coat and running off.

The groups split off to their assignments.

* * *

"Race, you sure you know where you're goin'?" Romeo asked. The four of them were in Race's new car he'd gotten, trying to find somewhere to get a tree. As of right now, they were in the middle of nowhere. "Rome, 'course I know where I'se goin'," Race lied. Crutchie rolled his eyes, turning to stare out the window.

"What about that place? It seems good," Buttons offered, pointing at a sign labeled, 'Wilson's Tree Farm'. Race glanced at Crutchie, who shrugged. "Ah, why not. What've we got to lose?" Race asked, pulling into it. After parking, the four climbed out of the small car and went inside.

"How can I help you?" a friendly voice asked. The brothers turned and saw an elderly man making his way towards them. He had white, curly, hair and was kind hunched over. He wore a red and green cardigan over his grey-long-sleeve shirt and his tan pants had grass stains on them. His blue eyes shone happily when he reached the boys.

"I'm Nick. Nick Wilson," he smiled. "Nice to meet ya! I'm Crutchie, and these are my brothers, Race, Romeo, and Buttons," Crutchie introduced. Nick smiled at the boys and said, "Can I help you with anything?"

"I think we've got it. Thanks anyways," Crutchie said. Nick nodded and said, "Once you find the tree you'd like, bring it up here and I'll ring it up for you." The boys murmured 'Thank you's and left. After arguing over several trees for about an hour, they finally agreed on a tall, plump one. It was taller than any of the boys and probably even Specs, who was the tallest in the Lodging House.

One way or another, they were able to get it up to the counter, paid for, and tied to the top of Race's car. Just one problem.

"Crutch, I can't see!" Race said. "Whaddya mean you can see? Crutchie exclaimed. "The stupid tree's blocking my view!" Race argued.

It was true. The tree was so long it covered Race's side of the front window. They spent the next thirty minutes arguing about what to do. In the end, Crutchie was guiding Race on where to turn and cars to avoid.

"WATCH OUT! THERE'S A CAR!" Crutchie would shout, making Race either slow down or speed up to avoid the car. "Turn here!" Crutchie would announce and Race (very sloppily) made the turn. It was a miracle they weren't pulled over. They made it safely back to the Lodge, but with Romeo and Buttons clinging to the seats for dear life.

* * *

"Specs, where're the decorations?" Sniper asked. Specs turned from looking for the tape and said, "Uh, d'ya look in the closet upstairs?" Sniper nodded. "What about the attic? Jack hides a lot of stuff up there," Specs asked. Sniper shook his head and ran to the stairs.

"Take Jojo with you! The door locks from the outside when it's closed!" Specs called after Sniper. Jojo, having heard Specs, ran after Sniper.

"Mush, ya know where the tape is by any chance?" Specs asked, digging through the kitchen drawers. Mush walked in from the main room. "Haven't seen it since Kath's birthday. D'ya check that drawer that Jack thinks he can hide stuff in?" Mush asked. Specs thought for a moment before shaking his head. They found the tape in said drawer then waited for twenty minutes for Sniper and Jojo to come back. When they didn't, Specs and Mush went upstairs to find them banging on the attic door from inside the attic.

Specs let them out before shouting, "I told you it locks from the outside!" "We forgot, ok?" Sniper argued, brushing dust out of his blond hair.

Specs and Mush glanced at each other before rolling their eyes. Decorating went, well, interesting. They argued against half of the decorations and ended up only setting up the dusty nativity set. Just as they finished, Albert, Elmer, Finch, Henry, and Swift walked in, each of them carrying armloads of grocery bags.

"I'm never shopping with these lunatics again," Swift groaned. The boys gave her a mock innocent look. "Why not, Swift?" Finch asked. Swift glared at him and said, "Because you set a lobster loose in the store, Henry and Albert got in trouble three times for climbing up the shelfs, and Elmer kept trying put a Mentos in pop bottles!"

Said boys doubled over in laughter. "You have to admit, Swift, the lobster was pretty funny," Finch laughed. Swift cracked a smile and said, "Alright, it was kinda funny."

The boys and Swift turned as they heard shouting outside the door. They ran to see what it was, and gawked at the tree Race, Buttons, Crutchie, and Romeo had picked. It was huge! "How're we going to get that inside?!" Specs asked.

* * *

With great difficulty, the boys and Swift were able to get the large tree inside. Crutchie was guiding them since he couldn't lift the tree due to his crutch.

"Did you guys find the ornaments?" Crutchie asked Mush. Mush nodded and said, "They're in those boxes by the kitchen.

Crutchie, Romeo, and Buttons got the boxes, bringing them to the tree where the group immediately began decorating.

"Hey guys, sorry we're late, we had to help our mom and Sarah with something," Davey said, walking in. Les ran in ahead of him and his jaw dropped at the tree, before running over and helping decorate it, Swift, Davey, Crutchie, and Specs got to work on making the food. They'd argued about it for a moment before deciding that those four were less likely to burn down the kitchen than the others.

Spot and Smalls showed up a bit later. "Hey guys," Smalls smiled. The tiny girl was wearing her normal navy shirt and jeans, but had taken her cap off. Spot was wearing his normal red shirt and jeans, looking around at the Lodge now brightly decorated with Christmas lights.

"Hey, Smalls! Spot," the boys greeted.

Katherine, Jack, and Joe showed up five minutes later. Katherine had her hands on her five month baby bump, smiling as she looked around at the decorations. Jack was carrying a suspiciously large box that he set down near the tree.

The party went amazingly. Everyone got along with everyone (except for the occasional food throwing). Then it was time for that huge box Jack brought to be opened. Since it was Christmas Eve, the boys couldn't open their presents yet, but were eager to open Jack and Katherine's box.

"Alright. Ace, would you like to do the honors?" Jack asked. Katherine smile and lifted the top of the box off.

Pink balloons flew out of the box. On three of the balloons, were the words, 'It's a girl!' It took the group a second but once they realized what it meant, they erupted in screams and cheers. Several hugs were passed around and several congratulations followed. Joe was smiling the biggest anyone had seen.

"We wanted to tell you guys so badly," Katherine confessed once they'd calmed down.

"What's her name going to be?" Smalls asked.

"Ah, now that one, you'll have to wait until she's born," Jack said and the group groaned playfully.

The party lasted until midnight, when it was actually Christmas. The boys tore into their gifts, thanking each other for them and having a good time together. One by one, they each fell asleep in the most random of spots, knowing this to be one of the best Christmases yet.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating last week! It was horrible hectic and I was trying to get into the swing of something and it was kind of stressful, but I'm back now. I hope you guys enjoyed this! It was so much fun to write. BABY KELLY'S A GIRL! I know Is aid I was going to wait until she's born to reveal the gender, but I wanted to give you guys at least** ** _something_** **about her. Anyway, I hope y'all had a great Christmas! TTFN!**


	20. Romeo's Dog Walking Adventure

**A/N: Pre-Strike Modern AU**

* * *

 _'_ _Maybe I should find another way to earn more money. Selling has been slow lately, and what about getting something for Jack's birthday? Hmm,'_ Romeo thought to himself. He was almost thirteen, surely he'd be able to find a part time job.

As he walked to the Lodging House, a paper caught his eye. He did a double take and at the paper that had been stapled to the pole and went over to read it.

'Dog Walker needed part time. Call this number if interested.'

Romeo thought for a moment. He was perfectly capable of walking dogs. In fact, he loved dogs! 'Course the only dog he'd ever met was his English teacher's Pomeranian. . . . But he liked that dog! The feelings hadn't been mutual, but that dog was a grump. These dogs would surely be different. Right?

He scribbled down the number then ran to the Lodging House, diving for the phone. That was currently in use.

Finch grunted as his younger brother tackled him. "Rome, get off!" he exclaimed, pushing the younger boy off. Finch quickly stood and grabbed the phone. "Yeah, I'se still here. Sorry, that was my brother," he said into it.

"Finch, I need da phone!" Romeo shouted, standing up. "Why?" Finch asked, looking at Romeo with confusion. "Because I do!" he answered.

"Hold on, I'll be done in a minute," Finch replied.

Romeo waited what felt like an hour before Finch was finally done. It was actually on fifteen minutes, but to the twelve yr. old it felt much longer.

Finch watched Romeo in confusion as the boy called the number that had been scribbled on his hand as if his life depended on it before walking off, shaking his head slowly thinking that he'd finally gotten the number of that red-head at school.

"Hello? I saw your ad for dog walking and I was wonderin' if you were still lookin' for someone?" Romeo asked when the person answered.

"Ah, yes! Finally. I was wondering if anyone was going call. I'm Betty. Betty Grant. My little neighborhood is looking for someone to walk the dogs and since we have few children in the neighborhood, we decided to put up that ad. Could you start tomorrow?" 'Betty' asked.

"Um, yes! Yes, that works," Romeo said.

"Great! What's your name?" Betty asked.

"I'se Romeo," he answered.

"Well Romeo, you can meet me at the park at-." Betty read off the address that Romeo quickly scribbled down and said, "Ok, see you then!"

Romeo hung up and could hardly wait. He didn't tell any of his brothers about this in case they tried to come with him or wouldn't let him do it. He was twelve years old, he could do this on his own.

The next day after he'd finished school and finished selling (he didn't buy very many papes) he practically ran to the address Betty had given him.

When he reached the park, he saw a woman standing in a gazebo holding the leashes of at least five dogs.

Two of them were probably as big Romeo, and the other three were tiny Chihuahuas. Romeo's eyes briefly widened at the two large dogs before walking much slower up to the woman. "A-are you Betty?" he asked, never taking his eyes off the dogs.

The woman looked up from her phone. She had bright green eyes and short, curled, dirty, blonde hair. "Yep! You must be Romeo," she said, holding her hand out for him. He shook it, his eyes still never leaving the two dogs. They were huge!

"This is Petunia, Thrasher, and Tinkerbell," Betty said, pointing to the three Chihuahuas. ' _The seemed friendly,'_ Romeo thought as he watched the small dogs lick his shoes, _'_ _And a bit crazy_.'

Betty then pointed to the huge dogs. "These two are a mix of Great Dane and I think it was Neapolitan Mastiff. The lighter one is Thor, and the darker one is Hulk. The owners are superhero fans," she explained.

Thor and Hulk seemed to just realize they had a new friend and nearly knocked Romeo over trying to give him kisses.

"Thor! Hulk! Heel!" Betty shouted and the two dogs immediately sat.

"Sorry, they love new people," she explained. Romeo nodded silently. He was beginning to doubt this idea.

"Alright, well, they'll need to be walked for about two hours. The park's rather big, and there's a trail behind those trees if you'd like to take them over there. A dog park is about ten minutes away if you'd like to go there. When those two hours are done, bring them back here. Any questions?" Betty asked.

Romeo thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Alright! I have to get back home, my husband's home alone with the baby. I'll see you later!" she said and walked off after handing the leashes to Romeo.

Before he could even start walking, Thor- or was it Hulk?- barked loudly and took off. Romeo, who was taken by surprise, didn't have time to register anything as the Great Dane/Mastiff mixes charged.

He was dragged along the grass by the dogs until he barely managed to spit out, "Heel!"

The dogs immediately sat, making him run into them.

He stood and ignored his potentially bleeding leg as he spit out grass and huffed before leading the dogs back to the sidewalk and down it, heading to the his selling spot. It was a somewhat quiet spot and a good place to bring the dogs.

* * *

Or so he thought.

Hulk saw a squirrel once they reached his selling spot and took off, dragging Romeo along the pavement. The Chihuahuas were right up there with the Great Dane/Mastiff mixes, even though Romeo was pretty sure they didn't even know what was going on.

The dogs only stopped The Great Squirrel Chase when they dragged him into a pond.

His legs were scraped up and bleeding, along with his elbows. He grumbled to himself as he began the trek back to the gazebo.

" _Romeo_?!" a familiar voice shouted.

Now he was in for it.

He stopped and turned as Race ran over to him. "What happened to you?! And who's dogs are these?" his older brother asked.

"I was trying to earn some extra money to get Jack a present for his birthday. I saw an ad for dog walking yesterday and thought it'd be good chance to get some extra cash. But, I met the dogs, and well, Hulk and Thor think they're in charge," Romeo explained.

"Rome, you could've just asked one of us to help you get Jack something," Race said.

"Race, I'm almost thirteen! I should be able to get my older brother a birthday present without having to borrow money," Romeo said.

Race sighed, but before he could say anything, Thor barked and took off again. Hulk followed Thor, along with the Chihuahuas.

Race ran after Romeo, who was trying to shout 'Heel!' but kept wincing because of his injured legs and elbows being dragged again.

Race understood what Romeo was trying to say and shouted, "Heel!"

The dogs stopped immediately and Romeo ran into them again. Race helped his brother up. "C'mon, I'll help you back to- where're we going?" Race asked.

Romeo led the way, with Race's help to stay upright, and soon the boys made it back to the gazebo where Betty was waiting. This time she had a giggly baby on her hip.

Betty widened her eyes when the two boys neared and after seeing Romeo's injuries asked, "Are you ok? What happened?"

"The dogs got kind of out of control. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to dog walk for ya anymore," he said. "It's ok, I understand. You're not the first to lose control of the dogs," Betty laughed slightly.

She handed Romeo the money, thanked him, then left.

"Let's get you back to the Lodging House," Race muttered. He practically had to carry the exhausted boy back to the Lodge, and once they reached it, Race helped clean Romeo's injuries then sent the younger boy to bed.

Romeo was able to afford a new paint set for Jack (with a little help from Race), but swore up and down that he'd never dog walk again.

* * *

 **A/N: This was possibly the most fun one-shot I've ever written. I hope you liked this one! IT'S THE TWENTIETH CHAPTER GUYS! AHHH! Anyway, you know the drill. Comment what you'd like to see. Sorry for the long hiatus by the way. My computer crashed and I lost basically everything, so I had to wait for my dad to get the Microsoft Word back up before I could write anything again.**

 **I'll try to keep the updates more regular from now on. Sorry again! TTFN!**


	21. Decorating Baby Kelly's Room

Newsies were not decorators. They didn't know all of the things that those fancy shmancy decorators knew, they just knew what they thought looked good.

Well, when Jack decided to take his eight month pregnant wife out for a little date, the boys decided they would surprise the soon-to-be-parents and finish Baby Kelly's room. Jack and Katherine didn't have a very big apartment, and it was a bit run down, but that's besides the point.

It had a small living room and kitchen, then two bedrooms. One for Jack and Katherine, another for Baby Kelly. Kath and Jack had been trying to work on the room as much as possible before the baby made her arrival, but it was hard with Jack at work and Katherine trying to work from home.

"Alright boys," Davey shouted over the noise of the Newsboys. They quieted down after a minute and Davey continued, "We have about an hour to do this, so we have to get as much done as possible. I think Jack said the paint was in the living room next to the couch or something and the decorations are in that corner. Les and Buttons, go keep watch for Jack and Katherine. Crutchie, Race, Mush, and Sniper, finish painting. Specs, Finch, Albert, and Romeo, try to put the crib together. I think there are instructions somewhere in the box. Um, Elmer, Henry, Jojo, and I will get the apartment picked up a bit for them I guess." He said the last sentence a bit uncertainly.

* * *

"Hey, Mush!" Race shouted. Said boy looked up from his paint job just as a pink paint splatter hit him in the face. "Oohh it's on now," Mush said, chuckling and grinning mischievously. "Fellas, c'mon, we don't have very long to get this done," Crutchie said as a paint splatter hit him in the forehead.

"C'mon, Crutch, live a bit," Race said, dodging a paint splatter. The paint war stopped when a paint went out the open window and the four boys heard a woman shout angrily.

"Do Jack and Plums have a ladder anywhere?" Sniper asked, poking his head out of the room. "Uh, I don't think so. Why?" Davey asked. "Cause we can't reach the top of the wall and-," Sniper's sentence was cut short as the group heard a thud and Race's voice asking, "You ok?"

Sniper turned and saw Mush and Crutchie on the floor, laughing. "Why'd we think that would work?" Crutchie asked as Mush stood and pulled Crutchie up. "It was his idea," Mush said, pointing at Race with his thumb. "Was not," Race argued. They tried it again and managed to get most of the top of the room.

* * *

Meanwhile, the crib wasn't going too well. "No, this part is supposed to go on later," Romeo said, frowning at the instructions. "No it's not, see? It looks normal," Specs said, putting the piece on. "No, he's right, Specs, that doesn't go on until we get the legs on," Finch said, looking at the instructions. Specs looked at Albert, who shrugged and said, "Don't look at me, they'se da ones with da instructions."

Specs sighed and took the piece off. Soon they had it completely put together just as the other boys had finished painting. The managed to somehow get the crib in the room and Davey began to say something when they heard the door open and Les and Buttons talking rapidly. "Guys, guys, what's going on?" they heard Jack's voice said.

"Nothing!" they said in unison. "Hey, where are the other boys? I'm pretty sure Davey wouldn't let you come by yourself, Les," Katherine said. "What about me?" Buttons asked. "You know what I mean," Katherine replied. "Um," Les started.

Davey walked out of Baby Kelly's room and smiled, saying, "Hey you two." "What're you up to?" Jack asked slowly. "Just come here," Davey said. The couple glanced at each other before following Davey, Les, and Buttons to the room.

Jack and Katherine gasped when they saw it. "You guys did this?" Katherine asked, smiling. "Do you like it?" Crutchie asked. "We love it. Thank you guys," Jack smiled.

* * *

 **A/N: So. Um. Heh. Sorry I haven't been updating. I promise I'm going to try to more regularly, especially since Baby Kelly is coming next month! Comments are much appreciated. I'm sure you all know the drill by now. Tell me what character, oneshot, or whatever you'd like to see! Thanks guys!**

 **TTFN!**


	22. Road Trip! Part 1

**A/N: Modern AU and Pre-Baby Kelly**

* * *

"Can I take this off now?"

"Hold your horses, Kelly!"

"Hey, you'se a Kelly now too ya know."

"…Shut up."

Katherine guided her husband out to the driveway and Davey gave her a thumbs up. "OK, take it off!" Katherine said giddily. It'd been almost four or five months since Katherine and Jack got married, and it was Jack's birthday today, so Katherine decided to give him and extra special birthday present.

Jack took off the blindfold and stared in confusion at the sight. "Ace, why is there a van in the driveway?"

"We're going on a road trip for your birthday!" Katherine announced happily. "Where?" Jack asked, but a smile slowly creeped onto his face. "Where do you think?" Katherine asked. "Santa Fe?" Jack wondered. Katherine nodded and Jack grinned wrapping his arms around his wife's waist and kissing her. They separated after the boys began shouting, "EW!" and "NOT IN PUBLIC!" at them.

After the couple got packed, Katherine and Jack climbed into the van and Jack shouted, "Everyone ready?"

Various responses flew back, but Jack took it as a 'ready', and began the van and got on the road.

After about thirty minutes of 'silence' the boys began a game of 'Punch Buggy'. They'd made it out of New York by the time Jack put a stop to it because Buttons somehow got a black eye because of it.

"So where's this hotel?" Davey asked. "Ace? Jack asked. "Somewhere in Ohio. I have the directions on my phone," Katherine explained. Davey began to reply when Les asked, "Jack, can we take a pit stop?" "Why? We just got on the road," Jack said. "I have to go to the bathroom," Les said quietly. "You went before we left!" Davey said. "I have to go too," Romeo announced. "Me too!" Buttons shouted.

Jack groaned but pulled over at the next gas station they found. All the boys plus Katherine piled out and into 7/11. While some of the boys raided the slushie machine, others found some snacks while others ran to the bathroom.

After twenty minutes, Jack, Davey, and Katherine rounded the boys back into the van and got back on the road.

* * *

"Crutchie, look at thi- Crutchie?" Henry asked. When he'd turned towards the crippled boy, he wasn't there. "Hey, is Crutchie back there?" Henry asked turning around in his seat. Mush, being the only one that heard Henry, scanned the boys before shaking his head. "Jack, where's Crutchie?" Henry called to the front.

"What do you mean where's Crutchie? He's next to Les, right Les?" Jack asked. Les looked at the empty spot next to him. "Uh, no," Les said slowly. Jack turned around in his seat, making Katherine grab the steering wheel. "Then where is he?" Jack asked. "I'll call him," Davey said, pulling out his phone.

The boys waited anxiously as Davey talked to Crutchie. "Crutch? Where are you? We turned around and you weren- we what? Whoa, slow down. What do you mean? Okay, okay! We're turning back. Kay, see you soon," Davey said. He hung up. "Um, we left Crutchie at 7/11," Davey said. Jack groaned and turned around.

"Where is he?" Jack asked as they pulled back into 7/11. "There!" Mush shouted, pointing. Crutchie was walking towards them, munching on those Flamin' Hot Cheetos that he loved so dearly. "Sorry, Crutch," Jack said when the crippled boy climbed in.

"Eh, it's fine," he said, waving it off. "What'd you do, buy the entire stock of Flamin' Hot Cheetos?" Henry asked, looking at Crutchie's armful of snacks. "No! I left two or three," Crutchie said. Jack rolled his eyes before chuckling.

* * *

They got back on the road somehow made it to the hotel in one piece. " _This_ is the hotel?" Specs asked as Jack pulled in. "This is a dump!" Race exclaimed. "Hey, lay off! It's the best I could find on our budget!" Jack defended.

Jack and Katherine got everyone checked in, the split the boys up into the rooms. "Race, your room has Finch, Romeo, Crutchie, and Buttons. Specs, you've got Elmer, Albert, Henry, and Jojo. Davey, you've got Les, Mush, and Sniper. Ace, you and I are together," Jack explained. "Hey, why didn't Swift come?" Katherine asked as everyone headed to their rooms.

"I don't know. Something about wanting to go visit Smalls and Spot," Jack said.

* * *

"Psst! Finchie! Psst! _Psst!_ "

Race smacked his brother with a pillow, making Finch give a small shriek and fall out of the bed. "Please tell me there's a good reason you woke me up, Racetrack," Finch mumbled from the ground. "Let's play a prank on da others!" Race whispered. "What kind of prank?" Finch asked cautiously.

Race grinned and whispered his plan to Finch, who quickly agreed and woke up the other boys, just much gentler than he was woken. Crutchie, Romeo, and Buttons agreed to the plan and the boys got to work.

"Race, I'm starting to think this is a bad idea," Crutchie said. "Me too, Race. Do you even know where to put that thing?" Romeo said. Race grumbled and said, "Of course I know where to put it! Crutch, give me the tape." Crutchie hesitated before passing the duct tape to Racetrack, who grinned.

"Where'd Finch and Buttons go?" Romeo asked. "Getting the other prank set up," Race said. After a moment, he said, "And, done!"

Buttons and Finch came running out of Specs' group's room, grinning. "Is it set up?" Race grinned. The boys nodded, fist bumping each other. "Now, we wait," Race grinned.

* * *

 **A/N: This'll be a two-parter and the second one will most likely be the last chapter before Baby Kelly's arrival. I'll try to get the next part to this up by either tomorrow or the next day.** **J** **TTFN!**


	23. Road Trip! Part 2

**A/N: Modern AU and Pre-Baby Kelly**

* * *

The next morning the boys all woke up pretty early to make sure they got back on the road soon enough. Jack, Mush, and Davey were loading all the suitcases and such back into the van while Katherine went through the rooms to make sure nothing had gotten left behind.

"Alright, everyone here?" Jack asked. "Yeah, let's not repeat the gas station incident," Crutchie grinned. Jack rolled his eyes playfully. "Where's Specs' group?" Davey asked, frowning slightly as he scanned the boys.

As if on cue, Specs led the boys out to the group whose jaws dropped. "Um, guys? What's with the new look?" Jack asked. "We don't know what happened! We all took showers and each one ended up the same!" Specs said. The boys had green hair, along with their forehead and ears slightly tinted green.

Jack turned to Race, who was trying very, very, hard to not laugh. "Racetrack," Jack said, crossing his arms. "It's just a harmless little prank, Jack. It's just Kool-Aid, it'll wash out," Race said in-between laughs.

"Everyone in the van," Jack said, holding back a few laughs himself. Jack started the van only to hear a very strange sound. "What is that?" he asked, glancing at Katherine. "Sounds like it's coming from the engine," she said and the couple climbed out, Davey following close behind. The boys could see the three talking and Jack lifted the hood of the van, stuck his hand in, and pulled out a harmonica.

Race, Romeo, Buttons, Finch, and Crutchie were laughing now. Even Jack and a few other boys were laughing a bit. "I have to admit, that one was good, Race," Jack said. Race smiled. "When _aren't_ my pranks good?" "Hey now, don't go gettin' a big head," Jack said.

They got back on the road after double checking Race hadn't set anymore pranks for the group.

* * *

"Jack, could ya turn on some music or something?" Jojo called from the back. "Like what?" Jack called.

This resulted in several 'suggestions' being shouted at Jack. "Alright, alright, enough!" Jack shouted. He began to throw out the music idea when Finch suddenly shouted, "HAKUNA MATATA! WHAT A WONDERFUL PHRASE!"

There was a small pause before Henry shouted, "HAKUNA MATATA! AIN'T NO PASSIN' CRAZE!" "IT MEANS NO WORRIES! FOR THE REST OF YA DAYS!" Finch shouted. Together, he and Henry shouted, "ITS OUR PROBLEM FREE PHILOSPHY! HAKUNA MATATA!"

"Oh Lord help us," Jack muttered as the other boys joined in, each taking a side. After they finished Hakuna Matata, Jack was hoping and praying this was over, until- "ARIEL, LISTEN TO ME. THE HUMAN WOILD, IT'S A MESS. LIFE UNDAH DA SEE IS BETTAH THAN ANYTHING THEY GOT UP DERE!" That was Race.

After the boys figured out what song it was, they all joined in, singing loudly and off-key. Katherine even joined in for a little bit. Davey was debating, but decided to after they finished Under the Sea and Specs began- "LET'S GET DOWN TO BUISNESS! TO DEFEAT, DA HUNS! DID DEY SEND ME DAUGHTERS WHEN I ASKED FOR SONS?"

That one was probably the longest song they did because the group forgot the last verse so they just repeated the chorus over and over again until Jack made them be quiet.

The silence lasted for about five minutes before- "I'M GONNA BE A MIGHTY KING SO ENEMIES BEWARE!" The boys quickly caught onto that song and all began singing at the top of their lungs. After a moment, Jack joined in.

This continued until they realized they hadn't stopped for food, and were all starving. Davey found out they had just entered Texas and were about three hours or so from Santa Fe. So, the group found the only restaurant available and got food there. McDonalds.

Jack ordered for the large group while the younger boys raided the play area. "Crutch, can you go tell the nutjobs the food is ready?" Jack asked as he and Katherine struggled to carry the food to the tables that Davey and Specs were pulling together.

Crutchie was gone for about ten minutes, which made the others worry and went to the play area to see what the holdup was.

* * *

"What do you mean they're stuck in the slide?!" Jack shouted.

"Well, Henry, Albert, Finch and Romeo thought they could all fit in together and, um, they can't," Buttons explained. Crutchie, Mush, and Jojo were attempting to pull them out. After a bout ten or fifteen minutes, they were successful in getting their brothers out of the slide.

They quickly ate their food then got back on the road. The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful other than the occasional secret Punch Buggy game or Disney Sing Along session. By the time they made it to Santa Fe everyone was exhausted so they found a cheap hotel and crashed, planning to go sightseeing tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning, Jack was the first to wake up, extremely giddy. The group was a bit slower at getting up, but as soon as they were, they split into group then went sightseeing. There wasn't all that much to look at, but it was enough for Jack.

"Thanks for this trip, Ace. This is the best gift ever," Jack said, as he and Katherine watched the sunset while the boys piled into the van. "You're welcome, Jack," Katherine said. The two kissed, only separating when the boys began shouting various things at the couple.

"So Jack, was it everything you expected it to be?" Davey asked as they head back to the hotel.

"Yup. But I think I miss Manhattan," Jack said, smiling a bit.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that was fun. I'm pretty sure this will be the last chapter before Baby Kelly's arrival, unless I have some spontaneous idea. Feedback would be much appreciated! Thanks for reading! TTFN!**


	24. Best April Fools' Day Ever

**A/N: Modern AU**

* * *

"Ace, you sure this is a good idea? The baby is due any day now," Jack asked as he followed his heavily pregnant wife into the Lodging House.

"It'll be fine, Jack," Katherine assured, smiling and placing her hand on his shoulder.

Jack sighed but didn't say anything as Romeo and Jojo looked up as the couple walked into the large living room and smiled. "Hey guys! What's up?" Romeo asked. "Just came for a visit. Where's the others?" Katherine asked, easing onto the couch next to them.

"Planning their April Fools' pranks," Jojo replied. "Why aren't you two?" Jack asked cautiously. "We did last night," Jojo grinned, high fiving Romeo.

Today was April Fools' Day and the Newsies treated this day as if it was religious to celebrate. It was their favorite holiday and they never missed it. When Jack moved out, the pranks began getting a bit more… well… dangerous. The April Fools' after Jack moved out, Mush nearly got a concussion from a prank Les had pulled.

Jack began to say something but stopped and sighed instead. "Kath!" a voice hissed, making the group look around. " _Kath_!" the voice hissed.

Katherine spotted Swift, Finch, and Sniper beckoning her over. "Um, I'll be right back," she said. Jack helped her up from the couch and she went over to the three teenagers. "Swift? What're you doing here?" Katherine asked, hugging her friend. "Came for a visit," she grinned. "Kath, we have an awesome prank planned, but we need your help," Finch grinned. Katherine looked suspicious but said, "What is it?"

The three explained their plan to her and, after a bit of convincing, she agreed. They helped her prepare for it, then she went back to the living room, the three teenagers following after a few minutes.

"Where'd you go? And where'd you three come from?" Jack asked suspiciously. "They were telling me about something," Katherine replied. It was the truth. Well, kinda. Jack began to question it some more when they heard a scream come from upstairs, along with thundering footsteps.

Henry and Albert came thundering down the stairs and a pink, glittery, Race quickly followed. "If it makes ya feel any better it wasn't meant for you!" Henry shouted as he and Albert ran outside. "It doesn't!" Race shouted, chasing after them.

"Should we go save them?" Jojo asked. "Probably. C'mon," Swift said and she, Romeo, Sniper, Finch, and Jojo got up and ran outside after Henry and Albert.

They came back a bit later with a safe Henry and Albert, with a fuming Racetrack.

* * *

Davey and Les soon showed up and Les dived right into the pranks with the boys. Davey was the victim of quite a few pranks that day. Now the whole group was sitting in the living room, munching on some snacks and plotting some more pranks.

Katherine suddenly remembered the prank with Finch, Sniper, and Swift and caught Swift's eye. She gave Maggie a subtle nod and said girl grinned.

Suddenly a large amount of water spilled onto the floor. "Where's that comin' from?" Mush asked, looking at the growing puddle. "Did one of you bust a pipe or something while trying to plan a prank?" Jack asked, annoyance growing in his voice. He was sitting next to Katherine with his arm around her shoulders. "No! We haven't touched the pipes since we almost flooded the basement a few years back," Elmer defended.

"Um, Jack. It's me," Katherine said, suddenly white as chalk. "Ace, did you pee?" Jack exclaimed, jumping up. "No, my water broke," she said. " _What_?!" the boys shouted.

"What do we do?"

"Should we call the doctor?"

Realizing they were actually going to call the hospital, Katherine nodded at Swift who shouted, " _HEY_!" The boys stopped panicking and looking at her. "It's a prank! Her water didn't actually break," Swift revealed. "Not funny, Ace," Jack said, sitting back down next to his wife. "It kind of was," Katherine said, laughing. The group laughed about it for a minute then resumed their previous activities.

* * *

Katherine and Jack stayed at the Lodge until it was dark and had dinner with the group. "Who has dinner duty tonight?" Specs asked. "Crutchie, Specs, and Jojo," Mush said, reading off from the list on the wall.

Said three boys got up and headed for the kitchen, coming back twenty minutes later saying dinner was ready. "What takes twenty minutes to cook?" Mush asked cautiously as everyone got up and headed for the kitchen.

They'd cooked (burned) some hot dogs and made macaroni and cheese. Katherine had been in the middle of getting her macaroni and cheese when a sharp pain shot through her making her gasp and drop her plate.

"Kath?" Crutchie asked, frowning in confusion.

A puddle grew around Katherine's feet and Jack noticed before saying, "OK, Ace, the first time it was funny. Not funny anymore." "Jack, it's not a prank," Katherine said. Jack looked from the puddle to his wife. He could see in her eyes that it was the real thing and dropped his plate as well.

"Um, ok, stay calm, I'll call the hospital, Crutch, can you get Ace a chair?" Jack asked. Crutchie nodded and set his plate on the counter and grabbed a chair, pulling it over to Katherine. She smiled gratefully at him and sat down.

Crutchie told the rest of the group what was going on and they came into the kitchen. "You ok so far?" Swift asked Katherine. She nodded, both hands on her belly. After Jack got off the phone with the hospital, they headed to the hospital.

* * *

Katherine was accepted into a room after the nurses made sure this was the real thing. Jack and Swift went into the room with her and the rest of the boys waited in the waiting room.

Newsies aren't very good at being patient when it came to anything other than selling papes, so they began entertaining themselves. Romeo and Race began flirting with the passing nurses, Albert, Elmer, and Henry got into an intense game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Crutchie got into a conversation with Les about Les' latest TV show obsession, Power Rangers, and the rest of the boys except for Davey, Mush, and Specs, dispersed into different areas of the hospital.

They all came back after an hour or two, except for Sniper and Jojo, who came back twenty five minutes after the rest of the group returned, with bags of McDonalds. "Sniper, I thought you only had your permit," Davey said as the two passed the food around. "I do," Sniper replied.

Pulitzer showed up after a few minutes with Rose close behind. Rose began talking with Davey and the two lovers seemed oblivious to the rest of the world.

After another two hours, the group began getting restless. Some fell asleep, some began bugging the others, some tried to avoid the ones bugging them, etc.

* * *

Swift finally came out after another two hours passed and the boys plus Rose stood and waited. "C'mon, come meet her," she grinned.

They smiled and followed Swift to the room.

When they walked in, they saw a tired, sweaty, smiling, Katherine lying in bed holding tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket, Jack was sitting next to the bed and smiling at his baby girl. The happy couple looked up when the group walked in.

"Hey guys. Come meet Joselyn May Kelly," Katherine whispered. "May?" Pulitzer asked, smiling. Katherine nodded, still smiling, "After Mom." "And Joselyn was my mom's name," Jack grinned, looking back at his daughter. "Congrats, guys," Davey smiled. The group murmured their congratulations to the couple, who continued smiling from ear to ear. "Thanks," Jack smiled.

"Can we call her Josie for short?" Romeo asked. "Josie," Katherine said, looking down at her baby, then back at Jack. "I like it," he smiled. "Me too," she said. They pecked each other.

The nurses soon kicked everyone out of the room, only allowing three or four in. The boys and Rose took turns coming into the room and holding baby Josie.

"I think this is by far the best April Fools' Day ever," Jack said to Katherine. "I agree," she said, smiling down at Josie.

* * *

 **A/N: Happy Birthday Joselyn May Kelly! I have great plans for her. I hope you all liked this! Is anyone still reading these?**


	25. Where's Crutchie?

"Jackie, heads up!"

Jacqueline (aka Jackie to the Newsies girls) Kelly's head shot up from her card game with Buttons and Jojo as a hat came flying her way. Jackie caught it with both hands, causing her to drop her cards and Buttons and Jojo to see them. "Wow, and I thought _I_ had bad cards!" Jojo laughed.

Jackie huffed as Emmy came running towards her, trying to catch her hat. Jackie handed it to the younger girl and shouted, "Race, stop stealin' hats!" "Aye, aye, cowboy!" Race shouted, her blonde braids flying behind her as she chased Allie, who'd stolen Race's cigars.

"You say 'aye, aye' to pirates Race, not cowboys!" Juliet informed from the safety of her top bunk. Race finally caught Allie and tackled the girl, prying the cigars out her hand. "Yeah, yeah," Race said, waving it off as she stood, stuffing the cigars in her pocket.

Jackie picked the cards up and set them on the table, finding no point in continuing the game. The girls had lost interest anyway. "Anyone know if Crutchie has come back from sellin' yet?" Jackie asked, standing and looking around. The girls quieted and looked around.

"Haven't seen 'er," Specs said, moving out of the way as Henrietta lunged for her glasses. Jackie sighed and took her hat off, running her hand through her dark brown, short, curly hair. She looked out the window and said, "She's usually back by now. I'se gonna go look for her." "We'll help," Mush said, standing. Jackie hesitated before saying, "Racer, Mush, and Emmy can come. Specs you'se in charge."

The three girls followed Jackie and the four split up. "Crutchie!" Jackie shouted as she walked/ran around. She walked all the way to Brooklyn, hoping Spot would've seen her best friend somewhere. When the Queen of Brooklyn said she hadn't seen her, Jackie began getting even more worried.

She went through half of Manhatten, trying to find Crutchie. Where could she be? As the sun was coming up, Jackie trudged back to the Lodge, exhausted and worried.

* * *

"There you are, Jackie! The girls told me what's going on. Any luck?" Karter asked, running over to me. Jackie smiled tiredly as she hugged him. "No, not yet. Are Racer, Mush, or Emmy back yet?" she asked, letting go of her boyfriend and looking at the girls. They shook their heads.

"Dani and Lea dropped by. They was wonderin' why we weren't at the distribution center. We'se worried 'bout Crutch too, Jackie, but we need to get goin' or we ain't gonna have any money for food tonight," Finch said, running her hand through her jet black hair. Danielle and Lea Jacobs were sisters that the girls became friends with during the Strike.

Jackie sighed, nodding. "Alright, c'mon, Newsies. Maybe we'll find Crutchie while we'se out sellin'."

The Newsies grabbed their hats and bags and began heading out in groups to the distribution center. Jackie was keeping her eyes open as they walked. "Relax, Jackie, we'll find her," Allie said, putting her arm around Jackie's shoulders. Jackie gave the younger girl a fake smile and said, "I know."

As lunch came around, Race, Emmy, and Mush came into Jacobi's, looking tired and upset. "There ya three are! You ok? I was getting worried," Jackie asked, shooting up and walking over to the girls. "We'se fine. No luck findin' Crutch though," Emmy said, her short, light brown hair all tangled and in a huge mess. She tiredly walked over to Finch, Lea, and Juliet, sitting next to Juliet.

"We ran inta Moriah," Race said quietly. Jackie looked at Race. "What'd she want?" Jackie asked, crossing her arms. Moriah and Olivia Delancey were bullies, who often picked on the Newsies girls. "Just tauntin' us. Emmy kinda froze up a bit though, so you might make sure she's alright," Race said. Jackie nodded.

After finishing up lunch, the girls went back to selling.

* * *

As they headed home from working in the blazing heat all day, Juliet heard something. It was only her, Race, Finch, and Henrietta. The rest of the girls were heading home in different directions or groups.

" _Help_ ," the weak voice called again. "Fellas, ya hear that?" Juliet whispered, stopping. The other girls stopped as well. " _Help. Please, anybody_ ," the weak voice called.

"That sounded like Crutchie," Finch said, looking at the other girls. " _Help_ ," the voice called. "Crutchie?" Race called. " _Racetrack?_ " the voice asked.

The realized the voice was coming from the alleyway, so the girl ran down it, finding their friend and sister beaten up and injured at the end of the alley. "Crutchie, what happened?" Henrietta asked. Race and Henrietta helped Crutchie up and put her arms around their shoulders. Juliet and Finch began searching for her crutch.

"O-Olivia and Moriah decided to remind me that I'se a crip and don't fight too well," Crutchie said. The other girls could hear the discouragement in her voice. "Crutch, you'se the strongest one of us there is," Henrietta said. Juliet found the crutch, then they went back to the Lodging House.

As soon as they walked in, all the girls' heads shot up. "Crutchie!" the girls shouted happily. "I was so worried 'bout ya. Where ya been?" Jackie said, helping the younger girl to a bed. Specs got what the girls liked to call 'the hurt box' that the nuns donated to them.

"The Delancey sisters got her," Henrietta explained. Specs came back with The Hurt Box and a wet cloth. Jackie began cleaning up Crutchie's injuries then wrapping them up.

Jojo began to say something when the door opened and Karter walked in. "Hey girls, any luck fin- Crutchie! Good to see you, I was worried," he said, smiling. "Seems like everyone was," Crutchie smiled. "Course we was worried! You'se our sister!" Juliet grinned. Crutchie smiled from ear to ear. So what if she had a gimp leg? She had a family and that's all that mattered.

* * *

 **A/N: So I decided to try a genderbent AU! What'd you guys think? Would you want some more of these? And yes, I know Moriah, Danielle, Jacqueline, Karter aren't 1900 names, but it's the best I could come up with for Morris, Davey, Jack, and Katherine. I'd love some suggestions for future oneshots! TTFN!**


	26. Jojo

**A/N: Pre-strike**

* * *

"Hey, hey, wake up. Wake up, kid, it's just a dream," fourteen year old Sniper whispered.

Ten year old Jojo shot up, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. "It's ok, kid, you're safe, it's just me and da boys, no one else is here," Sniper whispered.

Jojo still looked pretty shaken, so Sniper asked, "Want ta go outside and talk for a bit?"

Jojo shakily nodded and Sniper helped the younger boy up and out of bed, leading him to the bench outside. Jojo had just arrived at the Lodge not more than three days ago. So far, Sniper had been the only one to hear the ten yr. old having nightmares, so almost every night they went outside.

"What was this one about?" Sniper asked patiently as Jojo sat next to him. Sniper wrapped his arm around Jojo's shoulders.

"It-it was him again," Jojo squeaked. Sniper nodded and protectively wrapped his arms around the small kid. "Well, it was just a dream right? 'e's not gonna come find ya, Jojo. And if 'e does somehow, me and da fellas will protect ya," Sniper promised.

"Sniper, do the-do the nightmare ever-ever stop?" Jojo asked quietly, looking up at the teenager. Sniper hesitated. "Sometimes. Mine 'ave kinda stopped and I think Albert and Henry's 'ave stopped. Jack still 'as some bad nightmares dough, and so does Mush. I think over time they'll slow, but I can't say for sure if they'll stop," Sniper said after a minute.

Jojo nodded and they boys were quiet. "Sniper? What do you have nightmare about?" Jojo asked, looking up at Sniper innocently. Sniper paused. Should he tell the kid? "Well, there's this place called da Refuge. It's a 'orrible place. A man named Snyder runs it, Snydah da Spider. 'E's a mean, mean man, Jojo. 'E's da main reason for Jack's nightmares. Anyways, I was taken ta da Refuge when I was younger, 'bout your age. When I finally got out Jack found me and took me 'ere. I'se 'ad nightmare's evah since," Sniper explained somberly.

Jojo was quiet. After a while, he said, "Sniper, how'd you get in the Refuge?"

"I got in a street fight wit some other kid. 'e managed ta escaped 'fore Snydah caught us," Sniper explained. Jojo stayed quiet, resting his head on his big brother's chest. As he continued to think about the Refuge, he fell asleep.

Sniper only realized the kid had fallen asleep after he heard the soft, purring-like, snores. He carried the ten-year-old back inside and laid him down in his bed.

The next morning, Jack woke the boys up fairly early. "C'mon, boys, we'se burnin' sunlight!" Jack said, walking downstairs with Crutchie following. Jojo hopped up, seeming to have forgotten about the nightmare the night before, until Sniper gave him a happy smile. He noticed the scar Sniper had on his shoulder as he got dressed.

 _'_ _Was that from the Refuge?_ ' Jojo wondered to himself. It was a long, thin, scar, just a shade darker than Sniper's pale skin and ran from the top of his shoulder until about the middle of his upper arm.

"Hey Jojo, heads up!" one of the other boys, Elmer, shouted. Jojo turned and saw a boot come flying his way. He grabbed it just as Race lunged for him. He moved out of the way and took off, giggling.

"Alright, alright, boys c'mon we'se gonna be late," Jack smirked, ruffling Jojo's hair. Sniper had told Jojo that touching, as in hugs, pats on the shoulder/arms/back, and ruffling hair, was Jack's way of show affection to his brothers so he just went with it.

Jojo gave Race his boot and followed Buttons and Crutchie out. "Hey, Crutch, what's ya leg say?" Jojo asked, smiling. Crutchie smiled and paused walking, felt his leg with mock-concentration on his face. "Rain until lunch then cloudy," he grinned. Jojo and Buttons laughed and Crutchie joined as they continued to walk.

Crutchie and Buttons were younger than Jojo, Crutchie being seven and Buttons being six, but they acted way older than that. Or, in Jojo's opinion at least. He hadn't known the boys very long, but the three had already hit it off.

Anyway, they bought their papes and went to their separate selling spots.

He'd been doing pretty well, when he saw an older man walk by. He had small, beady, green eyes, crusty fingernails, and was wearing a tux that told Jojo this man was rich. Jojo grinned.

' _I bet I can get this fella ta buy a pape!'_ he thought.

"Extra! Extra! Factory goes down in flames! Ya heard it right here!" Jojo shouted. This turned the man's head and made him stop. Jojo pretended not to notice. "Extra! Extra! Earthquake knocks down two buildings!" Jojo shouted.

"I'll take a paper," the man grinned. His teeth were dirty and Jojo suddenly felt like being the center of this man's attention was a bad place to be. He handed Jojo a dime and took the pape. When the man didn't walk off with the paper, Jojo began to walk/run away.

"Hey, wait a second, boy! Where's that headline you were talking about?" the man asked. Jojo didn't answer, but picked up the pace, turning a corner. He breathed a sigh of relief and slowed to a walk.

Suddenly a boy a little older than Jojo turned the other corner and headed for him. He had an evil, mischievous, look on his face, and when he spotted Jojo, he picked up the pace. Dang it.

Jojo decided to stand his ground against the bully. That was twice his size. And older than him. And stronger.

 _'_ _You know maybe this wasn't such a great idea,'_ Jojo decided. But it was too late now. He was too close to run. "What're ya doing on my side of the city, squirt?" the boy asked, cracking his knuckles. "It's-it's not your street," Jojo said, trying to sound tough. He knew how scared his voice sounded though.

"What if I says it is?" the boy asked, giving Jojo a shove. Jojo frowned and shoved the other boy. The boy laughed. "Squirt wants to be all rough and tough, huh?" the boy asked, shoving Jojo again. This shove was much stronger, and nearly made Jojo fall over. Jojo shoved back just as hard and the boy growled. The boy swung and Jojo ducked. Soon a full-blown fight broke out and they heard a voice shout, "Hey!"

The boy looked behind Jojo, turned pale, and took off. Jojo turned and saw the man from earlier. Jojo tried to run but the man was too fast.

He grabbed Jojo and slowly grinned evilly, insanity in his beady eyes. "You're coming to the Refuge, boy," he growled. Jojo felt the blood drain from his face. This was Snyder the Spider.

* * *

"Fellas, 'e shoulda been back by now," Sniper said worriedly. "He's right, Jojo's nevah this late," Specs said, looking at the other boys. Jack nodded, standing. "M'kay. Race, Sniper, Mush and I'se gonna go look for him. Specs, you'se in charge," Jack announced. Race and Mush stood as well and we left.

I searched every alley near Jojo's selling spot. I even went to Midtown to see if he'd gotten lost. After searching everywhere, with a lump of dread in his stomach, he snuck to the Refuge and snuck up the fire escape, peeking into the boys' room. "Hey!" Sniper hissed. One of the boys walked over to the window. "'ave you fellas gotten a new kid today?" he asked, dreading the answer. The boy nodded. "Where is 'e?" Sniper asked. "Snydah's got 'im in da office wit 'im," the boy said in a thick Brooklyn accent.

Sniper paled. Everyone who'd been in the Refuge knew what the office was. "'Kay. I'se gonna be back soon, take care a da boy for me," Sniper said and the boy said, "I'll try." Sniper nodded and jumped down, taking off at a run.

He ran to the Lodge, informing the boys of Jojo's whereabouts. "Sniper, ya gotta calm down. Freakin' out isn't gunna help him at all," Specs said, standing and gently but forcefully sitting Sniper on the bed behind him.

"It's my fault 'e's in there, I shoulda been wit 'im today," Sniper sighed, standing back up and continuing to pace.

"Snipe, ya didn't know dis was gunna happen, it ain't your fault," Henry said.

Sniper didn't reply. "Ok, boys we gotta go get Jojo, but we can't all go or all of us is gunna get caught," Jack said, "Snipe and I'll go get him. Rest a' ya make sure we got da Hurt Box filled and ready, ok?"

The other boys nodded and Sniper and Jack left. When they got to the Refuge however, the boy from earlier told the two that Jojo'd been moved to a different room after Snyder found out about Sniper's visit.

"Snipe, there's nothin' we can do now. Neither of us can get in dere and not have a flashback or somethin'. We just gotta trust Jojo to get himself outta dere," Jack whispered in a hushed voice.

Sniper worriedly looked from Jack to the Refuge, worrying the entire way home.

* * *

A day or two passed and Sniper had barely slept. The third day that Jojo'd been gone, Sniper decided to just sneak into the Refuge. But that morning when he'd woken up, the door opened. He saw a small boy standing there after a moment, he recognized it to be none other than- "Jojo!"

Sniper's shout woke the other boys, and as Sniper jumped out of bed, the other boys followed. Sniper helped the Jojo to his bed and Jack ran downstairs. "What's wit all da shoutin?" he asked tiredly.

Then he saw Jojo and sent Mush to get the Hurt Box.

Jojo was beaten and bruised but had a tired smile on his face. "'Ey, Sniper, miss me?" he asked tiredly as he and Jack began cleaning his wounds. "Yeah ya could say dat," Sniper joked, smiling gratefully.

A week or so passed and Jojo was back to normal, but the nightmares still haunted him. He wouldn't talk to the other boys about what happened there, but most of them knew.

Sniper and Jojo still got up every night, Jojo sometimes having to wake Sniper up because Sniper himself was having a nightmare, and they would still go out to the bench and talk. The brothers grew closer than ever, and every time Jojo saw Snyder on the street while selling, he no longer tried to get his attention, but took off in the other direction.

He'd learned his lesson and made sure that when Romeo joined the band of misfit brothers, he understood to stay away from the man with the small, beady, green, eyes. He wasn't going to let anyone make the same mistake he made.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey ya'll! Sorry for the hiatus. I actually really liked writing this chapter. For some reason, I decided that Sniper can't say h's. I don't why, but he can't. Also, I really, really like Sniper and Jojo's friendship. Maybe I'll do another chapter with that. Anyway, feedback is greatly appreciated. Please, please, please give me any suggestions for future one-shots! I'm running out of ideas!**

 **TTFN!**


	27. Snyder's Return

**A/N: I got this idea from a tumblr post I saw on Pinterest that I changed up a bit. If you'd like I can give you my Pinterest name and you can go find it but you gotta PM me for that. Post-strike pre-Jackrine wedding**

* * *

"Jack. You see da headline?" Romeo asked, fear thick in his voice.

Jack looked away from his conversation with Mush in confusion. He looked up at the headline and could almost feel the blood drain from his face.

'Warden Snyder released from jail.'

The boys went quiet.

Almost all of them had been to the Refuge and the ones who hadn't had heard enough stories and warning to know how bad it was.

"I thought he was gonna be there for good dis time," Romeo asked in practically a whisper.

"We all did," Specs said grimly.

It'd only been a month since the strike ended and the cold winds of fall were starting to arrive. Crutchie was adjusting but was still having some pretty bad nightmares. Jack glanced over at his best friend, who hadn't taken his eyes off the headline.

"Jack? What's da plan?" Finch asked, crossing his arms.

"Stay clear of him. If ya even see a _glimpse_ of him, run. I want ya all ta sell in pairs today. One older boy, one younger. Davey, keep an eye on Les, got it?" Jack asked the taller boy, who nodded. Each of the older boys took a younger one and they set off.

Race was with Elmer, keeping a close eye on the younger boy. They tried everything, but papes just weren't selling that well today.

"Hey boys, mind if I take a pape?" a female voice asked, making the brothers turn. "Hey Kath. Sure. It's on the house," Race said, smiling tiredly and handing her one. "Nice try, Racetrack. You should know me better by now," Katherine said, handing the boys a few coins. She read over the paper as Elmer pocketed the coins.

Katherine grew stiff. "Snyder's out?" she whispered, looking up urgently. The boys nodded. "That's why we'se sellin' in pairs," Elmer said in a small voice. He'd only been to the Refuge once and he'd already made plans never to return.

"How's-how's Jack and Crutchie taking the news?" Katherine asked worriedly.

"I couldn't tell. They seemed worried though. For all the right reasons," Race told her. He'd never been to the Refuge, but he planned to do everything in his power to keep the other boys out of it.

"Stay safe, ok? I'm going to check on Jack and the other boys," Katherine said, beginning to walk off. "Jack's either by the Brooklyn Bridge or near Newsies' Square somewhere. I don't know about the other boys," Race informed her.

She nodded and gave them both hugs before leaving.

"Race, do you think Snyder's gonna get us?" Elmer asked nervously.

Race looked at Elmer, then plastered on a smile. "Not a chance. That's why I'm here, remember? I'll make he stays away from ya."

Elmer nodded then said, "What about you?

"Don't worry 'bout me, kid, I'm da King a' New York, remember?" Race smirked.

Elmer laughed and nodded.

They continued selling their papes until the Delanceys walked over. "Well, lookie what we got here, Oscar. Two Newsies," Morris grinned, cracking his knuckles.

"Oh so _that's_ what I was smellin'! I was sure it was some horse poop or somethin'!" Race commented, making the Delancey brothers sneer.

As they drew nearer Race saw Oscar's brass knuckles and whispered to Elmer, "Run!"

They both took off and since they were faster than the Delanceys, they were able to escape.

The rest of the day went by slowly. Race and Elmer were getting hungry, so they began heading to Jacobi's when they heard shouts. A boy they'd never seen before came running at them, making them move out of the way, but the boy shoved something into Elmer's hands before taking off down an alley.

Elmer and Race gave each other confused looks before they saw the bull round the corner. "Hey you! Stop!" one of them shouted. The blood drained from Elmer's face and Race quickly grabbed the stolen object.

"Run!" Race shouted and they took off, dropping the object in the process. But the bulls were faster. They caught Race and arrested him. "But we didn't steal it!" Race shouted.

"Yeah right," the cop said.

"Elmer, go ta Jacobi's, I'se gonna be fine," Race said as they dragged him off.

Elmer stood there helpless for he didn't how long. Finally regaining his senses, he made a mad dash for Jacobi's.

He sprinted in, running into Spec and nearly knocking the older boy over.

"Whoa, Elmer! What's da rush?" Specs chuckled a bit nervously. "Race! Race- he-he got arrested!" he explained breathlessly. Specs smile dropped.

"What? How? What happened?"

As Elmer explained the kid and the object, Specs began getting more and more worried. They went to get Jack, who grew grim. "Ok tell all da other boys. We'll keep an eye for 'im then go to da Refuge tonight and try ta break him out," Jack said.

They spread the news then went back to selling.

After they finished selling and no one had seen any sign of him, they went back to the Lodge to start planning.

Jack and Mush went to the Refuge, sneaking around as quietly as possible. They snuck up a fire escape and knocked on the window. A little boy no older than Les walked over and cracked it open. "What is it, Cowboy?" the little boy whispered.

"Did you fellas get a new kid today? Tall, blond and sarcastic?" Jack whispered. The little boy thought for a moment before saying, "Oh you mean Legs. Yeah but he's with Snydah right now. Guy's only been out for two days but he's worse than ever, Cowboy," the little boy said.

Jack nodded grimly and said, "Ok, thanks Socks."

Mush and Jack left, heading to the Lodge in silence. How were going to get Race out?

* * *

It'd been almost two weeks since they'd seen Race. They didn't know what to do. He'd got moved a different room after Jack visited, one with no windows, so they couldn't break him out now.

Jack had come home early from selling and was sitting on the roof, thinking, when he heard "Jack!"

Before he could turn, someone almost tackled the taller boy, Jack turned to see who it was and his eyes widened.

"Race!" he shouted.

Race sobbed into Jack's shirt. Jack wanted to ask if he was ok but he already knew the answer. He could see from Race's wounds that he was _not_ ok. "Hey, it's ok. You'se safe now," Jack said.

"I-I can't. It-It was-it was-," he began but couldn't finish.

Jack stayed with the younger boy until he calmed down a little bit, then he helped him clean his wounds. The boys made it back home and they were all ecstatic when they saw him, and Race was just as happy to see them.

But after a few days they realized he had changed. He didn't have a sarcastic demeanor anymore and he was more reserved. They knew it was because of whatever had happened in the Refuge, but he wouldn't talk to them about it. Even when he woke up screaming from the nightmares.

Jack woke him up from another nightmare one night, then he forced the tall boy to come up to the roof with him. Crutchie was still asleep and Jack knew he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Crutchie was the heaviest sleeper here.

Anyway, the two boys sat near the edge and Jack asked, "Race, do ya need to talk? You'se been acting different and-."

"I don't know what ta say, Jack. Ya already know how bad it is so there's no point in talking about it," Race snapped, staring at the city.

Jack sighed and said, "But you can still talk to me. I'se da leader here, remember? That's what I'se here for."

Race hesitated, then spilled everything he'd been having nightmares about, about how _awful_ it was there.

And Race began feeling better the more he talked and over the next few days, he got his sarcastic demeanor back and began acting like himself again. The nightmares didn't stop of course, but it sure did help when Jack would come and talk to him about them.

Because he was finally safe again and with his brothers and that's all that mattered to him.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey y'all! I hope you like this! I got the idea of the part where Jack helps Race from SomedayonBroadway and the rest of this is basically from a thing I saw on Pinterest. If you'd like to see it you can PM me for my Pinterest name and you can find it on there. Anyway, I wrote a story! A Newsies one! It's called 'A Girl Called Fox' and I** ** _should_** **have it up by Tuesday. It's all written and edited already so you won't have to wait for me to write a new chapter each week. It'll go up every Tuesday.**

 **Comment would be greatly appreciated! TTFN!**


	28. Feasts and Fires

**A/N: Modern AU**

* * *

It was that time of year again. Thanksgiving. So far the day had been pretty good. No fights, arguments, or pranks had been spoken of so they assumed none had happened (yet). Then Mush explained to them his idea.

"You guys know how Jack and Kath haven't been gettin' a lot of sleep because of Josie, so I came up with an idea," Mush said, standing on the table.

"Oh is that what that smoke I was smelling came from?" Race teased, making Mush glare at him. Specs smacked Race upside the head to shut him up.

"What if we surprised Jack and Katherine with a Thanksgiving feast?" Mush suggested. The boys looked at each other, shrugging. Sounded like a good idea to them. Besides, what could go wrong? So they pooled what little money they had together and went out.

"Ok, while Specs and I go get the turkey, you guys get stuff that could go with a Thanksgiving dinner," Mush said as they all piled into the grocery store. "Crutchie and Race, you're in charge," Specs added.

Mush and Specs left the boys to find the turkey. "So. What do you eat at a Thanksgiving feast?" Romeo asked. "Anyone got a pen and paper?" Race asked. Elmer pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Race. Jojo found a pen and handed it to Race. "Should we call Swift to meet us up here?" Albert asked. "Nah, we got this," Race said as he started scribbling something down on the paper. Albert called Swift anyway and she met them at the store ten minutes later.

"So what're we looking for?" she asked as Romeo and Buttons raced by her Romeo in a cart and Buttons pushing him. They were currently in the cereal aisle and Swift had no idea why. "Thanksgiving food," Crutchie told her. "Well I don't think cereal is Thanksgiving food," she said slowly, confused.

She rewrote Race list (that consisted of cereal, pancakes, ice cream, etc.) and split them into groups. They split up and each found the food then found Specs and Mush in the meat section.

"Hey where'd Albert, Henry, and Buttons go?" Specs asked, looking through the group. Swift turned and saw those three were indeed gone. "I'll go find them," she sighed.

Suddenly there was a crash and everyone paused. "Clean up in aisle five," the intercom said. "Found them," Swift said, heading for aisle five. Which was candy aisle.

Specs and Mush bought a turkey then met up with Albert, Henry, Buttons, and Swift, who'd been kicked out of the store, and went back to the Lodge.

"Hey Mush I just realized something," Specs said, stopping him before they walked in. "What's that?" Mush asked, confused. "We don't know how to cook a turkey."

* * *

"It says stir together all the spices and stuff then rub it onto the turkey," Jojo read. Specs did as it told then said, "Now what?" "'Stuff it with a bunch of vegetables," Jojo informed. "We didn't get any vegetables," Swift said. "Then just skip that part. Um, then it says to put it in a pan and put it in the oven," Jojo explained.

Swift and Specs picked up the turkey, then moved to the pan and stuff it in the oven. "For how long?" Specs asked. Jojo didn't see the part where it said to cover it before putting it in, and said, "I don't know."

"Let's just check it later and see if it's done," Swift suggested and the boys nodded.

They went to help the other boys, who have already made some fudge and stuffing and were now working on the mashed potatoes. Specs noticed Romeo had chocolate in his hair and Mush put a finger to his lips when he started to point it out. "He hasn't noticed yet. Albert and Henry have a bet going on to see how long it'll take him," he whispered.

"Hey Race!"

Race turned after Henry called him and got hit in the nose by a cut up, unmashed piece of potato. Race sent a glare to the younger boy and grabbed a handful of the unmashed, cut up potatoes. He began pelting them at Henry and the younger boys and they retaliated. Soon it was a full blown potato fight that Specs, Mush, and Sniper soon intervened in.

"Well now we need more potatoes," Swift said, looking at potato covered floor. "We used all of them," Finch announced. Mush held back a groan. "Crutchie, Race, and Elmer, go to the store and get another bag. The rest of you, clean this up then start on something else," Mush said.

Everyone went to their separate missions. After cleaning everything up, they finished making the food. By the time that was done, Race, Crutchie, and Elmer were back and they finished the potatoes. Finally done with all the food, they turned on the football game and relaxed. For a minute or two.

"JINGLE BELL, JINGLE BELL, JINGLE BELL _ROCK_! JINGLE BELL SWING AND JINGLE BELLS RING!"

The boys looked around, trying to figure out who was playing the Christmas music prematurely. When they saw Romeo and Elmer, dancing along to the catchy song, the nearly tackled the boys. "Not until tomorrow!" Finch shouted at them, stealing Elmer's phone and shutting it off.

That happened a few more times, every other hour, and it ended up with Specs hiding Elmer's phone, promising not to give it back until tomorrow.

"Jack's calling!" Mush announced, then answered his phone. "Hey Cowboy, what's up?" Mush asked, moving out of the way as Buttons lunged for Mush's phone. "Hey Mush, we're running a little late. Josie had a blowout so now she needs a bath. Again. We'll be there soon though. How's everything going?" Jack asked. Mush could hear water running in the background, along with Katherine talking to Josie.

"We're doing good. Keeping the Christmas music off until tomorrow and all that," Mush explained.

"RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER. HAD A VERY SHINY NOSE. AND IF YOU EVER SAW IT. YOU WOULD EVEN SAY IT GLOWED."

"What's that?" Jack asked, confused. "It's Henry," Mush answered.

Albert tackled his best friend, resulting in the music being shut off along with a loud, "OW!"

"Um, I'll let you get back to that. Make sure no gets hurt too badly, ok?" Jack said. "I know, I know," Mush said. Jack hung up and Mush put his phone away as Specs and Race pulled Henry and Albert off of each other.

An earsplitting alarm started going off, making the boys' hands fly to their ears. "What is that?" Crutchie shouted over the noise. The boys thought before realization and horror washed over Specs. "We forgot about the turkey!"

Everyone raced to the kitchen, where smoke was coming out of the oven. Finch, Henry, and Albert, try to shut the fire alarm up while the others put out the fire. After the fire was out, Mush and Specs pulled the turkey out and saw it was black and charred.

Finch, who had been beating the fire alarm with the stick end of the broom, yelled, "Look out!" as the fire alarm shot off the ceiling.

Elmer didn't see the fire alarm coming flying towards him and didn't move in time. It hit him the the head and he fell over. "You ok, Elmer?" Race asked, pulling the younger boy up. He nodded, hand on his head. "Ok um, Race, get Elmer an ice pack for his head," Mush instructed as he threw the turkey away.

"Now what?" Albert asked.

* * *

They spent the next hour trying to figure out what to do. There was a knock on the door, making them all turn. Jack, Katherine, Davey, Les, and Rose walking in, Katherine carrying Josie. "Hey guys," Jack smiled.

"What's that smell?" Les asked, confused.

The boys and Swift looked at each other. "We kinda caught the turkey on fire," Swift explained.

"What happened to Elmer?" Katherine asked, seeing the ice pack. "He got hit with the fire alarm," Finch explained. Jack saw the fire alarm on the floor and face palmed. "What happened?" he asked slowly.

They explained what they were trying to do and Jack grew less mad as they explained their thoughtful surprise. "That was sweet of you boys. But don't try to cook a turkey again without one of us," Katherine smiled, chuckling a bit.

"We're never cooking a turkey again," Albert said. They nodded in agreement, but Jack and Davey went to the store anyway and got another turkey, cooking it right this time and not setting it on fire.

They had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner, being with friends and family. It was Josie's first Thanksgiving, and definitely one to remember.

"Why's there chocolate in my hair?"

"You owe me twenty dollars, Henry!"

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! I hope you liked this. :) Comment anything you'd like to see!**


	29. The Protest

**1915**

"Josie, dinner's ready!" Rose called to the teen. "Coming, Aunt Rose!" Joselyn May Kelly called back, adding the finishing touches to her painting. She brushed her curly brown hair behind her ear and stepped back to look at her painting. She sighed. It wasn't as good as her dad's, but it'd have to do for now.

"We're here!" a familiar voice called as Josie heard the door opening. It took her a second to recognize it, but once she did, she lit up and shouted, "Uncle Specs!" She ran to the living room and nearly knocked her 'uncle' over in a hug. "Hey there Josie! What're you doing here?" Specs asked, hugging the thirteen year old.

"Mom and Dad are visiting one of Mom's cousins, so I'm staying with Aunt Rose and Uncle Davey until they get back. They get back tomorrow night," Josie explained, letting go.

"What, I don't get a hug?" Crutchie asked, limping in after Specs. Josie gasped and hugged her favorite uncle. "How're you doing, Josie?" Crutchie grinned, hugging the girl with his free arm. "Pretty good," she said cheerfully, letting go.

"Is that paint, Josie?" another voice asked, making her turn. She grinned again, hugging Race before saying, "Yeah, it's paint." They separated and Rose poked her head in to the living room before saying, "The food's getting cold."

They walked in and Crutchie kindly said, "Smells wonderful, Rose." Rose smiled happily and said, "Thanks, Crutchie. Davey should be home any minute, guys."

"Rose?"

"Or now." Rose chuckled and called to her husband, "In the kitchen, Davey!" The tall dark-haired man walked in, smiling at his friends and wife. "Hey guys," he smiled. He gave Josie a hug and she hugged her godfather.

"How was work, Dave?" Crutchie asked. "Yeah, being a English teacher must be pretty exciting, right?" Race grinned, chuckling.

Davey rolled his eyes. He was used to their jokes about his job by now and some of them he even laughed at with them. "Work was fine, thanks for asking Crutchie. Josie, I grabbed that book you were wanting," he added, handing the teenager a good-sized book. She lit up at the sight of the book and reluctantly set it down to help Rose set the food out.

"What book you readin', Josie?" Specs asked as they all sat down. "It's _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_. One of my favorites. Where'd you get it, Uncle Davey?" she asked, instantly picking it up once she sat down, dark brown eyes scanning the pages.

"One of my colleagues was giving it away," Davey explained, making Josie finally tear her eyes off the book in shock. "Who on earth would give this away? I mean, not that I'm complaining, I'm glad I have it, but what kind of goof would get rid of this?" she questioned in shock, making the adults chuckle.

"Guess someone that didn't like it as much as you do," Crutchie shrugged, making Josie nod then put her nose back in the novel.

"Didja see there was another woman's protest few days ago?" Race asked, stuffing some food in his mouth. "Yeah, didn't they arrest a few of them?" Specs asked. "Yeah, I heard 'bout that. I think a fight broke out or somethin'," Crutchie added.

"You and Katherine going to join the next one, Rose?" Race asked. "Shh, not with Josie right here," she hissed. "She's not listening, she's glued to her book," Davey said.

But Josie was listening and she was listening intently.

Rose glanced at the teenager before saying, "I don't know. Katherine's been trying to talk me into it, but I haven't decided on anything."

"If you do, can I come?" Josie asked, looking up. "Told you she was listening," Rose mumbled, nudging her husband. "Do you think your parents'll let you go, Josie?" Specs asked. She shrugged. "You guys had a strike, Dad wouldn't mind if I helped out, right? A strike isn't much different from a protest," she pointed out, making the boys chuckle.

"Don't know. That's a question you'll have to ask him," Crutchie said.

"Josie, how's school going?" Rose asked, trying to divert the was still young, and Rose had heard stories of what happened at the Newsies strike. She just didn't want to see the younger girl get hurt.

"Eh, it's school," Josie shrugged, burying her nose back in the book. She finished eating and, after getting permission from Rose and Davey, she went back to her room and tried to finish the painting.

But her mind kept going back to that protest that the women were doing. Imagine if she got to help. Would her dad be proud?

' _I bet he would be! I could be like him and the other newsies!_ ' she thought, grinning. She giggled and did a little happy dance. After school tomorrow, she would go to the square and join the protest.

She couldn't wait to see her dad's reaction!

* * *

The next morning, Rose woke the young girl up for school and Josie could hardly pay attention in her classes out of excitement.

When she (finally) got out, she told her friends bye and took off. When she reached the area where they'd been protesting, she didn't see anyone at first, so she sat on the sidewalk and waited patiently.

But soon, women began gathering in the area, raising their signs and shouting things. Josie jumped up, grinning. She ran over and tried to blend in and for a while it worked. Until a woman noticed the teenager.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" she asked, making Josie freeze. "Um, um, I wanted-wanted to join you guys," Josie squeaked.

"This isn't a place for kids. It can get dangerous," the woman advised. As if on cue, they heard a whistle blow. At first the women didn't go anywhere, but as the policemen on horse gathered around them, it got crazy. The women began pushing and shoving to get out of the way. As Josie tried to escape the madness, she got knocked over.

The women were in too big of a hurry to pay her any attention and there were too many people running past for her to try and get up. She heard her name being shouted but couldn't look up to see who it was.

Soon she felt two hands grab her, pull her up and out of the crowd. "What were you doing in there?!" Finch shouted over the noise.

"I-I-," she stuttered but didn't know how to explain herself. Finch sighed and said, "You gotta bruise on your forehead. C'mon, let's get back to your place."

She followed her uncle to her apartment and by the time they reached it, her head was throbbing. Finch knocked on the door and after a minute, it flew open. "Finch! Josie! Oh thank God!" Katherine gasped. She pulled them both into a tight hug before pulling them inside.

"Jack, Finch and Josie just got here. Go tell Davey and Rose we found her!" Katherine called. Jack ran out from the hallway and hugged his daughter, kissing the top of her head. "Where've you been, young lady?! Do you know how worried we've been?" Jack scolded.

Then Katherine noticed Josie's injuries. "Josie, what happened, sweetie?" she asked. Tears filled Josie's eyes as she looked at her parents. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to be- I just wanted to be like Dad and all my uncles," she cried, embarrassed and sore.

Katherine, Jack, and Finch looked at each other. "I'll go tell Davey and Rose you guys found her. You stay with Josie," Finch said.

"Thanks Finch," Jack said as Katherine guided her daughter to the couch. Finch nodded and left. "Honey, what do you mean you wanted to be like your dad and uncles?" Katherine asked gently.

"Aunt Rose, Uncle Davey, Uncle Crutchie, Uncle Specs, and Uncle Race were talking about how the women were having protests and I remembered when you guys had the strike, so I thought that- that if I helped with it then Dad would be proud of me and I'd-I'd be like you guys," Josie explained, ashamed and upset. Her head was down with her eyes focused on her hands as Katherine and Jack looked at each other again.

"Josie, look at me," Jack said, making Josie slowly raise her eyes to look at her father. "Josie. I'm already proud of you. Want to know why? Because you're a creative, smart, and independent young woman. Just like your mother," Jack smiled, taking his daughter and wife's hands, making both of them smile.

"Really? Thanks, Dad," Josie smiled and hugged her dad. "And, honey? Don't join any more protests," Katherine added and Josie sat back down.

"I won't. Believe me, that was enough for the rest of my life," Josie laughed, making Katherine and Jack laugh as well.

After Davey and Rose came to make sure Josie was alright, they had a family dinner together. And Josie realized she didn't have to be apart of some protest to make her dad happy, she just had to be herself.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Hey y'all! I hope you like this! Josie's character was really fun to develop. The future thing is only for this chapter, but if you'd like to see more of teen Josie, I'd be happy to write it! I'd love some feedback! Also, I know there weren't really any women's protests until later on, but it worked with the storyline so just ignore it. Originally this was going to be a oneshot about a Josie and a boy she had a crush on and Jack having to 'test him' but this worked better.**

 **The next chapter will be a Christmas special and I'd love it if you guys could give me some ideas for it cause I'm going insane trying to to come up with something for it. TTFN!**


	30. Kidnapping Santa Claus

**A/N: Pre-Jackrine wedding.**

* * *

"I only counted eleven," Davey told Jack. Jack looked at the boys in the Lodge and running his hand through his hair. "That means we're missing..?" Jack asked, looking at Davey for the math. "Five," Davey finished. The door flew open and the freezing wind blew throughout the room.

Crutchie limped in with Finch and Elmer behind him. "Do we have everyone?" Crutchie shivered with pink cheeks and a pink nose, as Finch and Elmer pulled the door shut. "We're still missing two boys," Swift explained. As if on cue, the door swung open again and Katherine walked in, pulling Romeo and Buttons with her. "You three ok?" Davey asked.

"Yeah, we'se ok," Romeo shivered. "Found them wandering around near my apartment," Katherine explained, shivering as well. "Thanks, Ace," Jack said, kissing his girlfriend.

It was Christmas Eve and the boys, Swift, and Katherine had never seen a snowstorm this bad. Jack peeked out the window as Finch and Henry locked the door to keep the wind from blowing it open. "Ace, it looks like you'se gonna have ta spend the night. Davey, Les, you too," Jack announced, "I can't see a thing out there."

Specs and Mush found what little coals the boys had and put them in the heater. A few of the boys also found some old newspapers they'd accidently brought home and threw those in with the coals and soon the room warmed up a little.

"So what're the sleeping arrangements?" Davey asked. "What do you mean?" Race asked, frowning a bit. "Well, I don't really think that Katherine and Jack can share a room, can they?" he asked. After discussing it, it was determined the couple was not sharing a room and that Katherine would sleep in the girl's room with Swift.

"C'mon, I'll take you up to it," Swift said. Katherine followed the younger girl up to the big, empty room other than one messy bed. "That's mine, you can pick whichever one you want. I think I have some extra clothes if you wanna to change outta that skirt. We're about the same size, right?" Swift asked, digging around under her bed.

Katherine sat on a bed next to Swift's as she sat up, tossing Katherine a pair of worn pants and a long sleeve worn shirt. "Sorry it's not thicker," Swift apologized. "No, it's perfect! Thank you, Swift," Katherine smiled and quickly got changed before following Swift downstairs.

Jack, who had been in what looked like an irritating discussion with Henry and Albert, did a double take at Katherine before grinning. "Wow, Ace! I barely recognized ya! Ya look just like one of us!" Jack exclaimed, walking over and kissing her.

Katherine laughed as they separated and the couple just barely dodged a flying pillow. "Hey, that's mine!" Buttons shouted. Race, who was closest to the pillow, grinned and picked it up, dashing up the stairs with it. Buttons followed close behind and soon a giant game of 'Keep-Away' broke out.

Swift gracefully caught a boot and took off with it before tossing it to Sniper, who dodged Mush and took off.

"Is it always like this?" Katherine asked and she and Jack moved to the top of one of the bunks. "Yep," Jack sighed. Les suddenly gasped and shouted out, "Fellas, it's Christmas Eve! Santa's coming tonight!" Silence fell for a quick second.

Then all hell broke loose.

The boys began running around, shouting incoherent things the each other. One of the pillows ended up busting, which caused feathers to fly around the room. Race and Buttons even returned at one point and the older boys began trying to calm the younger ones down.

"Hey! HEY!" Jack shouted, jumping down from the bunk. The boys halted in their craziness and stared at their leader. "What is goin' on? Last I checked you loved Santa Claus!" Jack shouted, confused.

The younger boys (Elmer and under) looked at each other. "I thought you were going to tell him!" Finch 'whispered' to Crutchie. "No I wasn't! I told you I didn't want any part of this!" Crutchie defended, limping off to sit at a table with Davey.

"Any part of what exactly?" Specs asked slowly.

The younger boys looked at each other before Romeo spoke up and said, "We'se gonna kidnap Santa Clause."

At first, no one said anything. Then Jack blinked and said, "Um. You'se gonna do what?"

"We'se gonna kidnap Santa. C'mon Jack keep up," Les said, earning an irritated look from said boy. "I heard what you said. What the heck gave you the idea to kidnap Santa Claus?" Jack asked.

"Cause we want to make sure he's real. If we kidnap him, then we can make sure he's real," Buttons reasoned.

In Jack's mind, that was the worst reason he'd ever heard. He turned to Swift, who was snickering quietly to herself, and asked, "Did you know about this?"

She nodded. "They tried to recruit me yesterday but I said no."

"But boys if you kidnap Santa, won't he put you on the naughty list? Then you won't get any presents," Katherine said, climbing down from the bunk as well. "Yeah but then we'll get coal for the fireplace. It's a win-win," Elmer explained. Jack looked to Davey for help. "I've already tried to talk sense into them. Les told me about it on the way here," Davey sighed.

"You know what? Just let them do it," Jack said, knowing they wouldn't actually kidnap anybody. Santa wasn't even real, who would they end up kidnapping? The younger ones grinned maniacally and cheered.

"One rule! You gotta calm down! We'll get kicked out if you all go insane like that again!" Jack commanded and the boys nodded in agreement. The resumed their activities in a somewhat calmer way. There was less shouting at least.

Jack went upstairs with the older ones plus Swift and Crutchie, who refused to be apart of that.

"What're you gonna do, Jack? We got that closet full of their presents downstairs. How're we going to put them near the heater if they're sitting there all night waiting for Santa to come?" Davey asked.

"Wait, what?" Swift asked, glancing at Crutchie who looked just as confused. Jack looked at Davey, Specs, Mush, and Katherine before sighing and turning to Swift, Crutchie, and Race. "We put our money together and managed to get a few cheap hats and gloves for all of us. We even got the nuns to donate stuff. Most of the stuff we got is from them," Jack explained.

"After everyone went to sleep, we was gonna put them next to the heater since we don't got a tree," Specs added. "Everyone has some stuff? Even you guys?" Crutchie asked. They nodded.

"They're not gonna end up staying up all night. Remember the night after the strike? They tried to stay up all night and they were out within the first two hours," Race said. "I dunno, they seemed pretty determined," Mush said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"They've been determined about a lot of stuff and never ended up doing it," Specs added. After a minute, Jack nodded in agreement. "Let's just see how it plays out. If they don't end up going to bed then we need another plan," Jack decided. They all nodded and went downstairs.

"ELMER ROLL AROUND ON THE FLOOR!" Romeo shouted. The others looked at each other before running down the steps to see Elmer's shirt was on fire. It was a small fire and only on his sleeve, but it was quickly growing. After managing to put it out and making sure Elmer wasn't hurt, they told the younger boys to keep away from the heater.

The boys were currently sitting around the heater (at a safe distance) with their nets and pillow cases in hand, waiting for St. Nick to appear.

As the night dragged on, everyone began getting tired. The older boys were determined not to tell the younger ones that Santa wasn't real so after the boys had stayed up for more than two hours, they began brainstorming.

"What if one of us dresses up as Santa? Then while the Santa is distracting them, everyone else could be getting the presents downstairs." Davey asked. They grinned and looked at Davey. "I wasn't volunteering!" he added quickly.

"C'mon Dave, it's for the kids!" Jack insisted! "Then why can't you do it?" Davey questioned.

"Cause I don't want to!"

"Well neither do I!"

"Oh hush all of ya. I'll do it. I'se got the glasses anyways," Specs said. So they dressed Specs up the best they good with their limited selection of clothing.

"How am I gonna get down there? I can't go through the heater!" Specs whispered. "Just go down the stairs. Say the heater is broke or somethin'," Race whispered with a shrug. "Yeah, I could say that I captured ya," Crutchie suggest and the other nodded.

Specs sighed before walking down the stairs with Crutchie. "Hey guys, look who I found!" Crutchie announced, making the younger boys look over. They gasped and shouted, "GET HIM!"

Before Crutchie had time to do anything, the younger boys had tackled Specs, placing nets over his head and tying him up. Specs' glasses ended up breaking somewhere in the process. Since the younger ones rarely ever saw Specs without his glasses, none of them recognized him.

Crutchie managed to sneak the glasses up the stairs to Swift, who gave them to Davey. "How the heck did they do this?" Davey whispered. The glasses had been broken down the middle, with barely any glass being broken at all. They taped the glasses together while back downstairs, the younger boys were interrogating 'Santa Claus'.

"How do the reindeer fly?"

"How do we know you're real?"

"You're not as fat as I thought you were."

"How do you get everywhere in one night?"

"Sorry boys, but I can't answer your questions. I gotta get going to the other houses," Specs said, making his voice lower than usual. "But you didn't give us any presents," Romeo pointed out.

"Well, erm," Specs stuttered, looking to Crutchie for help. "Hey, fellas, look it's a reindeer!" Crutchie shouted, pointing out the window. This resulted in some looking out the window and others actually running outside.

While Crutchie and 'Santa' tried to get the boys that were outside to come back in, the others ran up and down the stairs as quietly as possible, placing the presents next to the heater but not so close they'd catch on fire.

After they came back inside, everyone did a double take at the presents. "How'd you do that?" Buttons asked, looking up at 'Santa'. Specs blinked and said, "Um."

"It's magic," Crutchie saved. "Well now that you'se got your present, I need to get going. So I'd appreciate it if you untied me," Specs insisted. They untied Specs, apologizing to 'Santa' for tying him up.

"Wait don't ya need to go up the heater?" Jojo asked. "No the heater's broke. I gotta go back the way I came," Specs said heading towards the stairs. "We wanna come!" Les shouted and they began to chase after Specs until Crutchie said, "Fellas the magical presents are going to disappear unless you go to bed."

Tha made them get into bed faster than Crutchie and Specs had ever seen. "Goodnight, Santa!" they chorused. Specs waved then hurried upstairs. Well, tried. Without his glasses he fell up a few of them, but Crutchie helped guide him. Davey handed him the glasses that he quickly put on.

"Magical presents? How'd ya come up with that, Crutch?" Jack asked as Specs took off the Santa gear. Crutchie shrugged. "I dunno. Just came off the top of my head, I guess."

* * *

Everyone fell asleep, the older ones in peace because they'd managed to sneak teh presents downstairs with having to tell the younger ones that Santa wasn't real and the younger ones in peace that they'd been able to capture Santa Claus.

"IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

Everyone that had been in their beds nearly fell out due the sudden announcement. Katherine and Swift actually did fall out of their beds. Everyone went down to the main room and saw the boys examining all the gifts.

"Specs, what happened to your glasses?" Elmer asked. "Um, I fell," Specs explained. It wasn't a total lie. "Hey wait a second," Finch began slowly. "Boys, look! Presents!" Swift shouted, distracting them from Specs.

They passed out the gifts and everyone celebrated. It was one of the best Christmas' ever in their opinion.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, I loved this oneshot. I hope you guys like it as much as I do. I know this is going up earlier than expected, but I won't be on on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so I decided to go ahead and put it up. Also this is the 30th chapter and that makes me really happy. Merry Christmas! TTFN! Ta ta for now!**


	31. Coffee Part 1

**A/N: Soulmate AU**

"I'm hungryyyyyy!"

"I have to pee!"

"Jack, can we stop for snacks?"

"We just stopped at that rest stop!" Davey called to the boys. "No we didn't that was like an hour ago!" Les shouted back to his brother. After another minute of various shouting, Specs suddenly cried out, "My shoe!"

It was the middle of summer break and the boys were on a random trip to Santa Fe. Why you may ask? Well, no one was really sure why. Jack woke them up that morning, told everyone to pack a bag, get into his van, and that they were taking a trip.

Jack and Davey, who were in the driver and passenger seat, heard a thud, followed by a loud, "OW!" A few boys went silent and Albert announced, "Jack, Elmer's got a bloody nose!" "Who hit him with Specs' shoe?" Jack asked. "I wasn't aimin' for Elmer!" Race defended. "Well help him clean it up anyway," Jack scolded.

Henry, who was the one that said he had to pee, was doing an uncomfortable sort of dance in his seat. Finch and Albert, who were sitting next to Henry, smirked and began poking the boy and tickling his sides.

He began shouting and telling Jack to do something. "Finch! Albert! Leave him alone! If he pees all over the van you two are cleaning it up!" Jack shouted, making the two boys stop abruptly. "Thank you," Henry sighed.

"We probably should make a stop, Jack. It's getting late and we should probably give them food before they result to cannibalism," Crutchie suggested, leaning forward to talk to Jack and taking nervous glances at the boys behind him.

Jack took a quick look behind him and saw the boys beginning some game that looked like it involved punching. "We're coming up on a town if you want to stop there," Davey said, looking at the GPS. He was designated as the living map after they almost got lost twice because of Crutchie's navigating.

Jack nodded and began following Davey's instructions.

Anyway, they pulled into the small looking town and they all slowly climbed out of the van out. "Alright, I'm gonna find go find some food. Davey, Crutchie, you're in charge," Jack said. "Can we go sightseeing?" Finch asked.

Jack sighed and said, "Sure, why not. Dave, Crutch, make sure they don't do anything stupid." Said boys nodded and they split up. Jack began walking up the sidewalk, trying to find somewhere that all of them could agree on.

He pulled out his phone to text Crutchie and ask him to ask the others what they wanted for dinner, but as soon as he turned it on, the screen went black. It had died.

Thunder rumbled from above, making him look up just as it started pouring rain. He groaned and kicked a wall, which resulted in his foot beginning to throb.

He realized he was in front of a coffee shop and went up to the clear doors, seeing a girl with curly brown hair around his age on a laptop on the couch. He tried the door and found it was locked.

Jack began 'knocking' on the door. The girl jumped and glanced over at him, but didn't get up. So he continued 'knocking' until she looked up with a very annoyed expression on her face, but when she saw him, the annoyance turned to shock.

* * *

Katherine was bored. Her shift was over and she was supposed to lock up, but she and her dad were in a fight and didn't feel like going back home to that mess, so she was staying at the coffee shop until she felt like leaving. Or until he found where she was and made her come back home.

She didn't hear the tall, dark-haired boy outside kick a wall then scream in anger about it and she didn't hear him jiggle the locked door.

 _BANG! BANG! BANG!_

She jumped and glanced up at the door. That she did hear. The teen girl just barely got a glimpse of the boy, but she figured it was father and ignored him.

Then he continued banging and she looked up with a very annoyed expression on her face. When she saw the boy around her age out in the rain, now soaking wet, her expression transformed into shock and she scrambled up to unlock the door and let him in.

"Why're you wandering around in the rain?" she asked.

"Long story. Why're you sitting in a locked coffee shop by yourself?" he asked.

She sighed and muttered, "Long story."

"Name's Jack," he said. "Katherine," she replied. They shook hands and Katherine explained, "There's an old uniform in the back if you want to change out of your wet clothes." Jack looked to the back room then back at the girl in front of him. He smiled and said, "Thanks."

He left, changed, and came back out finding Katherine sitting at her laptop typing up something. "Strange question, but do you have a phone charger I could borrow? My phone died and I need to let my brothers know where I'm at," he asked.

Katherine dug through her backpack for a minute before saying, "I don't, sorry. But you can borrow my phone if you want." She handed it to him and he took it, smiling gratefully. "Thanks."

She nodded in response and he dialed Davey's number.

"Hey Davey. Um, long story short I got lost, my phone died, and this nice lady let me in a closed coffee shop and I'm gonna wait the storm out here. You all ok?" Jack asked.

"Yeah we're good. Crutchie's leg is cramping a bit so we're hiding out in some store while the storm passes. Les, Romeo, no!" Davey shouted. Jack frowned then heard a bell signaling a door opened. "Um, I gotta go, Les and Romeo just ran outside to jump in the puddles," Davey said and didn't wait for Jack to reply before hanging up.

"Your brothers ok?" Katherine asked as Jack handed her her phone back and sat across from her on the couch. "Yeah, they're fine. Jumpin' in some puddles I guess," he chuckled, making Katherine laugh. "Where're your parents?" she asked. Jack's smile flickered and he said, "So what're you working on? You seemed deeply involved in it while I was outside."

Katherine noticed the subject change, but decided not to push. If he didn't want to talk about it she wasn't going to make him. "It's a paper I have to write for this interview tomorrow. I'm a journalist. Well, I want to be one when I graduate later this year, but my father won't let me. Once I turn eighteen, I'm moving to this college in New York that offers this great journalism program and I'm going to get a job there," she explained with a smile.

Jack lit up at the mention of New York. "Really? New York? I live in Manhattan with my brothers. We're on a vacation to Santa Fe, New Mexico."

Katherine smiled and asked, "Why Santa Fe?"

Jack shrugged. "It's always been a dream of mine to go there," he explained.

* * *

Davey quickly hung up with Jack as some of the other boys ran out into the rain as well. He started to go to bring them back inside but Crutchie stopped him. "Might as well let them play, Dave, better than vandalizing the store, right?" he chuckled.

Davey paused then shrugged with a nod. The crippled boy had a point. "How's your leg?" Davey asked. "I'm fine, it's just a little cramp," Crutchie assured. The pained look on the younger boy's face told Davey otherwise. "Crutch-."

"I'm fine, Davey," Crutchie said firmly, making Davey drop it.

Outside, the boys had gotten into a splash war and began kicking the water up at each other. They stopped when Race got the water up his nose. Coming back inside, they began exploring the store.

It was nice little cafe with a bookstore added on. The boys put their money together and bought some food and spent the rest of the storm playing card games, exploring, playing hide and seek (which almost ended with them losing Romeo and Buttons) and doing their best not to cause mayhem.

* * *

The two teenagers continued talking and didn't even notice when the rain stopped and the sun shone.

"How many brothers do you have?" Katherine asked.

Jack began to reply until they heard more banging that made them both nearly fall out of their seats and turn towards the window.

Race and Romeo were actively banging on the window, mischievous grins on their faces.

"Um, that's two of them, Race and Romeo. I better get going. It was, um, nice to meet you Katherine. Thanks for, well, everything," he said, standing slowly. "Of course! You too. Um, here let's exchange numbers," she said, standing as well and pulling her phone out, "so we can keep in contact and so I can find you when I move to New York."

They did and Jack awkwardly waved goodbye to her before leaving.

"She your girlfriend?" Romeo teased as they began heading back to the van. "Ah, shut up," Jack smirked, giving Romeo a playful shove. He noticed the boy was soaking wet, which told him Davey was unsuccessful in getting the boys to come out of the rain. "She is, isn't she! Look at that, stranded in the rain for an hour or two and you got a girlfriend!"

"No, she's not my girlfriend. We're just friends, kid," Jack assured, smirking. "How Crutchie? Davey said his leg was cramping?" Jack asked Race as Romeo continued poking fun at Jack. "He's fine. I think the weather just messed with his leg a bit," Race said and Jack nodded.

They got back to the van and found Davey, Mush, and Specs in front of it with the hood open. "What's going on?" Jack asked, frowning in confusion. "Van won't start," Specs answered. Jack noticed Specs only had one shoe on and assumed it was because Race threw his other one.

"What? Why?" Jack asked, walking over to them. "Well if we knew, don'tcha think we woulda fixed it by now?" Mush asked, making Jack glare at him.

"Looks like we're gonna be stuck here for a while," Jack sighed after taking a quick look at the engine. He had no idea what was wrong with it, but wasn't about to let them know that.

"Better find a hotel," Jack told Davey, who nodded and began searching for cheap hotels on his phone.

This was _not_ how he wanted this trip to go.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, they're in a sticky situation aren't they? Sorry for not updating, things got crazy. Part 2 of this should be up by next Tuesday with the next A Girl Called Fox chapter. This idea was given to my by a request of a Guest, and a thing I saw on Pinterest. I know it's not your average Soulmate AU story, but some of those AUs are kinda weird, so I did my own. Feedback would be amazing! So would requests. Comment anything you'd like to see in a future chapter! TTFN! Ta ta for now!**


	32. Coffee Part 2

**A/N: Soulmate AU**

Three days have passed since the boys got stranded in Oklahoma. They'd used the money they were going to use for Santa Fe to get a hotel and were trying to figure out how to fix the van.

They didn't have enough money to get someone to come fix it, so they were trying to fix it. But to Jack, it seemed like they getting further and further away from fixing it.

Anyway, Jack and Davey were currently in the hotel room. Davey was on the phone with Crutchie, who was out with Les, Romeo, and Buttons. The four boys had gone out sightseeing and well, now they were lost.

"How did you go so far that can't see the hotel? It's the tallest building in this town!" Davey scolded. Whatever Crutchie said on the phone made Davey sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose. He began trying to give them directions.

Jack was laying on his bed and trying to brainstorm what to do. Then he remembered something that made him shoot up from the bed. The girl from the coffee shop! What was her name? Katie? Carly? Ka… Ka… Katherine! That's it! She gave him her number! Maybe she could help!

He made a mad dive for the suitcases, which had his clothes in them, and Davey just barely made it out of the way without getting tackled. "What're you doing?" Davey asked and Jack began pulling all his clothes out of the suitcase and digging through them.

"Crutch, I'll call you back. He finally lost it," Davey said, not taking his eyes off his friend. He hung up and said, "Jack, what're you doing? You're making a mess!"

"The girl! From three days ago, Katherine! Dang it where's her number?" he said quickly. Davey wasn't sure what to say to that.

After not being able to find it, he growls and slams his suitcase shut. Then he remembered something else. "The coffee shop!" he shouted and darted out of the hotel room and out of the hotel. Davey quickly followed his friend, thinking he was going crazy.

Jack ran to the coffee shop with Davey close behind. WHen they made it, Jack ran in and to Katherine, who screamed and almost dropped the cups of coffee when Jack finally stopped his mad dash right in front of her.

"Jack? What're you doing here? I thought you and your brothers were going to Santa Fe," she said, confused. "We were. Our van broke down though. We've been stuck here for three days. Do you by chance know anyone that can fix cars?" Jack asked. "Yeah. My friends Bill and Darcy. I get off my shift in ten minutes, but I can go early. C'mon, I'll take you to them," she said.

She gave the coffee to the customers then hung up her apron and checked out. "This is Davey by the way," Jack said when she came back, pointing to the confused boy. "Hi, Davey, I'm Katherine. I'm guessing he's on of your brothers?" she asked. Jack nodded. "Nice to meet you, Katherine," Davey smiled. "You too. C'mon, let's get going," she said.

She took the boys to her friends and after Jack explained their situation, they agreed to help. "You guys sure it's ok if ya help? I feel bad 'bout not being able to pay you," Jack said as they headed back to the van.

"Ah it's fine! Any friend of Katherine's is a friend of ours," Darcy said. When they got back to the van, they found Finch, Albert, and Henry on top of the van, with the rest of the boys chucking something at them trying to not them down. When Davey and Jack realized it was _rocks_ they quickly made them stop.

"Katherine, these are my brothers. Boys, this is Katherine, Darcy, and Bill. They're gonna fix the van," Jack explained.

"Are you all biologically related?" Katherine asked, slightly confused. "No. Well, there's a chance Henry and Albert are but other than that no. We live in Kloppmann's Home for Boys in Manhattan," Jack explained as Darcy and Bill began examining the engine.

"Oh," Katherine said. ' _So that's why he avoided talking about his parents_ ', Katherine thought to herself.

Jack noticed Crutchie and his group still hadn't come back and called, "Specs! Racer! Has Crutchie called you and say where he is?"

The two older boys shook their heads. "Mush?" Jack asked. Mush shook his head. "Great," he muttered. He turned to Katherine and said, "Um, I gotta go look for some of the boys. I'll be right back."

"Oh, I'll come with you. I know this town like the back of my hand," she said. He smiled at her and said, "Thanks." He told Davey where he was going and the two left. As they searched, they talked and talked and talked.

They searched almost everywhere in the town before Jack called Crutchie. "Where are you guys?" he asked when Crutchie picked up. "We don't know. We were waiting for Davey to call us back," Romeo said into the phone. "Rome? Why do ya have Crutchie's phone?" Jack asked.

"Crutchie's leg is cramping pretty bad," he explained. "Ok. Well what landmarks are you guys next to?" Jack asked. "Um, there's a food place that we're outside of. It's called Doug's Burgers. That's a weird name for a restaurant," Romeo said.

"Do you know where Doug's Burgers is? They're outside of it," Jack asked Katherine. "Yeah, it's not too far from here actually," she said and led Jack to said burger place. "OK, we'll be there in a minute. Don't do anything stupid," Jack said. "C'mon, Jack, have a little faith in us," Romeo said. Jack hung up with a sigh.

* * *

They found the boys sitting on the sidewalk. Well, Crutchie and Buttons were on the sidewalk. Les was trying to climb onto Romeo's shoulders. "Les, get off of Romeo," Jack said, making the boys' heads shoot up. "Jack!" they shouted happily.

"Hey guys. How much trouble did ya get into?" Jack laughed as Romeo, Les, and Buttons hugged him. "None, we were good," Buttons said. "I doubt that," Jack muttered.

"Well hello there, miss," Romeo said, walking up to Katherine and tipping his hat towards her. "Kath, these are the rest of my brothers. Boys, this is Katherine," Jack said and Crutchie pulled himself up and leaned heavily on his crutch.

"Hiya. I'm 're really pretty," Romeo said, grinning at Katherine. "Thank you. I'm Katherine. You're also too young for me," she giggled. Romeo groaned. "Dang it," he sighed.

"You ok, Crutch?" Jack asked.

Crutchie gave Jack a pained smile and nodded. "I'll be ok. Let's get goin'." Jack nodded and let Buttons climb onto his back as they began walking off. He would've let Crutchie ride on his back, but knew it probably would've made the young teen a little upset. He didn't like to feel like he was helpless, and he'd told Jack before that being carried made him feel helpless.

Anyway, Jack noticed Crutchie discomfort as they walked but didn't say anything to him about it, knowing he would just blow it off. After Buttons jumped off of Jack's back to chase Romeo and Les, Katherine whispered to Jack asking, "Um, why does he have a crutch? Oh that probably sounds really rude doesn't it, I'm sorry I didn't mean for it to-."

"It's fine, Kath. When he was little he got polio and it messed up his leg real bad. Sometimes it still bothers him and he can't really walk on it," Jack whispered. She nodded and left it at that.

* * *

They made it back to the van and saw Bill and Darcy talking with Specs and Mush. "We got it fixed. Turns out there was a shoe lodged in the engine somewhere that was preventing it from starting," Bill explained, handing the shoe to Jack and making Race turn red. "Found your shoe, Specs," Jack said, tossing it to him.

"Thanks, guys," Jack said, patting their shoulders as the left. They nodded and said bye to Katherine.

The boys ran back inside to pack, leaving Jack and Katherine alone. "We're gonna stay in touch right?" Jack asked. "I hope so. When I come to New York next year, you'll have to come show me all the great places," Katherine smiled. Jack chuckled.

Trying not to think much about it, Jack kissed her. It lasted for a minute or so before separating. Katherine, who had kissed him back, was shocked didn't say anything. Jack's cheeks burned with embarrassment and he muttered a quick, "Sorry," before going inside and packing.

When he came back, Katherine was still waiting for him. She was smiling now. "I'll definitely have to come visit you if it means I can kiss you again," she said softly, pecking his lips. He grinned from ear to ear. "Bye Katherine," he said as the boys loaded up. "Bye Jack," she replied.

They kissed one more time before Jack climbed into the van. He waved to her and they drove off. So the trip didn't go how he wanted it to and they didn't get to go to Santa Fe. He got something better out of though. He got to meet Katherine.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys! I hope you liked this! Since I made you guys wait so long and it's Valentine's Day, I'm giving you two chapters today! The next one should be up in a bit. Comments would be nice! TTFN!**


	33. The Cramp

**A/N: ModernAU and Josie is five.**

* * *

Crutchie hated his leg. Yes, hate is a strong word, but he did. I was practically useless most of the time, and when it wasn't, it was in this horrible, cramping, fiery pain. But that was the bad days.

Today? Well, today started as a good day. Then it slowly transformed into a bad one. A very bad one.

Crutchie woke up feeling great. The birds were singing, the air was pretty warm for an October day, and everyone had gotten plenty of food the night before so they were all in pretty good moods.

As he came down from his room that he shared with some of the other boys, he found the boys running around the Lodge, talking, and getting dressed. A normal day in Crutchie's eyes. As he began a conversation with Les about dogs, Specs and Mush told the group to start heading for the distribution center.

As he headed over, it began. It started with a just a twinge of pain. Small enough to consciously ignore, but still enough to notice. When it happened, it had surprised Crutchie enough to almost make him wince. And Finch, who had been not too far behind the crippled boy, noticed.

He quickly caught up to Crutchie and asked, "You ok, Crutchie?" "Yeah, I'm good, why?" Crutchie smiled. "Just wonderin'," Finch said softly.

Crutchie bought his papers then went to his usual selling spot. It was a near a pretty big suburb and the kids and their parents would always pass him on their way home from school. Most of the time it was a pretty good spot.

As the kids started coming home from school, Crutchie prepared himself for the craziness. Pain suddenly shot through his leg, making him almost fall to his knees and grunt. He probably would've if he hadn't grabbed onto his crutch for dear life. He managed to sell a few papes, but the pain in his leg almost made it impossible.

A few of the moms seemed to realize he was in pain and ask if he was ok and if there was anything they could do. He shook his head and they bought a few extra papes out of sympathy and pity.

He somehow managed to sell all of them. Right after he was done, he began limping back to the Lodge. Maybe if he just laid down for a little bit in his bed… Yeah, that'd help.

He managed to make it back without running into any of the other boys and collapsed into the nearest bed he could reach. He groaned in pain as the the pain increased and clenched his jaw.

It felt as if someone had taken the muscles in his calves and twisted them, then began stabbing them with knives. It was so intense that he almost felt that he couldn't move. He heard the door open, but he had his eyes squeezed shut so he couldn't see who it was.

"Crutchie?!"

It was Henry.

"What's wrong? Is it your leg?"

That one was Albert.

Crutchie nodded and Henry said, "Albert, go get Jack." "Where is he?" Albert asked.

"He's at-he's at work," Crutchie stuttered. He opened his eyes and saw Henry and Albert next to the bed. "Ok, I'll stay with him, you go get Jack," Henry said and Albert nodded, running off.

"What happened? Did it just start hurting?" Henry asked. Crutchie nodded and Henry left for a bit. He came back with an ice pack. "I'm going to put this on your leg, is that ok?" Henry asked and Crutchie nodded in response.

Henry did so and at first it hurt, but then it started to it started to hurt again so Henry took it off. "How was-how was selling?" Crutchie asked.

"Good, I guess. Albert and I sold togethah. We took our break in Central Park and chased some pigeons. Got yelled at by the park officer. Normal day. How about you? Other than your leg of course," he said.

"Not much- much happened. Um, I sold all-all of my papes somehow and-and came back-back here," he stuttered. It was hard to talk because of the pain and Henry could notice. He started to say something when the door opened and the brothers saw Finch, Sniper, Jojo, and Race walked in, laughing about something.

They stopped when they saw Crutchie. "What happened?" Jojo asked. "His leg's actin' up. Albert went to get Jack," Henry explained. "How long ya been here, Crutch?" Race asked. Crutchie hated that they were making such a big deal. It was just a little cramp. Right? He knew they were just concerned, but he was fine.

He tried to sit up as he explained, "Not too long." He managed to successfully sit up but another cramp in his leg made him grab it in pain. "Here's the ice pack, wanna try that again?" Henry asked. Crutchie sighed inwardly before nodding and Henry place it on his leg.

That helped a little. It allowed Crutchie to relax for a bit. The boys talked for a bit, placing the ice pack on and off of his leg. The cramps were getting worse and worse. Soon it was dark outside and the rest of the boys were home. Except for Albert.

"Where is he? Shouldn't he have been back by now?" Henry asked. Mush started to say something when the door burst open and Jack and Albert came in. "You ok, Crutch? Al said your leg was messin' up," Jack said.

"It keeps cramping, but it's not that big a d- _ah_!" he groaned. The worst cramp yet shot through his leg and he couldn't speak. "We need to go to the doc. Mush, start the van. Specs, call Ace and tell her where we're going," Jack said.

The boys helped who didn't have assigned jobs got Crutchie into the van, making Crutchie's cheeks burn with embarrassment. He kept his head low on the way to the hospital, feeling embarrassed and slightly humiliated. When they got there, his leg just happened to cramp up again and the doctors admitted him quickly.

* * *

Katherine was tired and slightly irritated. She'd had a long, stressful, day and was ready to go home and be with her daughter and husband. She'd prepared a nice meal this morning in the crock pot and was ready to go home, relax, and maybe watch a movie or something. Then her phone rang.

"Hello?" she asked after answering. "Kath? It's Specs. Jack told me to call you cause we're takin' Crutchie to the hospital cause his leg keeps cramping up real bad. I think he wants you to meet us up there," Specs said.

"What? Is he ok?" Katherine asked, standing. "I think so. I think he's tryin' to hide how much it actually hurts. He doesn't like it when we make a big deal out of his leg cramping, but this time it's important," Specs explained as she heard voice in the background.

"Ok, I need to pick Josie up from kindergarten then I'll meet you guys there. Call me if anything happens," she said and hung up. She sped through the rest of her work then dashed out of the building.

She got into her car, started it, and drove to Josie's kindergarten. Well, sped, is a better word. Crutchie was a very close friend of hers and she was worried about him. She picked up Josie, who told her all about her day on the way to the hospital.

"Why're we at the doctor, Mommy?" Josie asked. "Uncle Crutchie isn't feeling very well so we're going to go visit him," Katherine explained as they walked in. They found the group of Newsies and Katherine went up to them. Josie giggled happily when she saw them and squirmed out of Katherine's arms.

While Katherine tried to figure out what was going on, Josie went around and told her uncles about her day at school.

Jack, who had been with Crutchie, came out and explained that the doctor didn't know what was wrong with Crutchie's leg and that they were giving him some pain meds and sending him home in a few minutes.

Katherine went back to the room to talk to Crutchie. The almost adult was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, staring down at his hands. When Katherine came in, he looked up and plastered on a fake smile. "Hey, Kath!" he said.

"Hi, Crutchie. How're you doing?" she asked, sitting in the seat that was next to his bed. "Slightly better, I guess," he shrugged.

They were quiet and Katherine could tell something was bothering him. "What's wrong?" she asked gently. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I don't know if it's motherly instinct or what, but I can tell something's bothering you, Crutch. Talk to me. We're friends, remember?" she asked. He nodded with a small sigh.

"I don't know. When the guys carried me out of the Lodge, it made-made me feel so _helpless_. I hated it. And I feel horrible that they made such a huge deal about my leg and the doc can't even find anything wrong with it," Crutchie explained.

"Well, I know they didn't try to make you feel helpless. They were just trying to help you. And about your leg, they don't mind Crutchie. They're just glad it's nothing serious. Trust me," Katherine said, placing her hand on his. He nodded with a small but real smile.

"Thanks, Katherine."

The door suddenly opened and Josie walked in. "Uncle Crutchie!" she giggled, running over to him. He picked her up and set her on the bed with him. "Are you ok? Mommy, said you weren't feeling good," she said.

"Yeah, I'm ok, Josie," Crutchie smiled.

* * *

 **A/N: So I kind of wrote this in a mad dash to get it done because I'm very rushed at the moment. Anyway, I hope you like it! I wanted to do some Crutchie angst and this was the first thing that came to mind. TTFN!**


	34. Capture the Flag

Finch walked into the Lodge, exhausted and ready to maybe play a game or two of poker with Race then go to bed. But when he walked in and saw Romeo on top of Kloppmann's desk with Crutchie's crutch, he knew it wouldn't be the relaxing night he wanted.

"What're you doing?" he asked warily. "Race started a game of Capture the Flag, but we're using Crutchie's crutch instead of an actual flag. Help me hide it!" Romeo hissed. Finch blinked and before he had time say what a terrible idea this was, Romeo grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down to the basement.

The boys rarely went down there, and when they did they were extra careful. Finch and Romeo ended up hiding it in a dark corner, hoping no one would see it. They cautiously made their way back upstairs and to the main room where Les, Crutchie, Specs, Henry, and Davey were waiting with their pillow cases tied around various parts of their bodies, including ankles, wrists, torso, etc.

"Where's everyone else?" Finch asked. "I don't know. We split up thirty minutes ago," Davey explained. "Dave, is this your first time playing Capture the Flag with us?" Henry asked, grinning. Davey nodded and Henry chuckled.

"This is gonna be fun."

"You know, I'm kinda glad we split you and Albert up now," Crutchie said, narrowing his eyes at the boy in suspicion and making Henry laugh.

"What's the other team's flag?" Finch asked. "One of Race's cigars," Les giggled. Finch grinned and said, "How'd ya get him to agree to that?" "We argued that if he decided to hide my crutch we got to hide his cigar," Crutchie smirked.

"Were ya seen, Romeo?" Les asked. "I don't think so," Romeo replied. "So what exactly are the rules?" Davey asked, sounding confused. "If someone pulls off your pillowcase you're out. But they have to be from the other team. Romeo, where'd you hide the crutch?" Specs asked. "In the basement," Romeo answered and the boys went silent.

"Don't worry, we made sure no one would get hurt on the way down," Finch added. "What's wrong with the basement?" Les asked, frowning in confusion. Yes, he'd been told by the older boys never to go down there, but he never thought anything of it.

"The stairs are steep and there's hardly any light down there. Those things combined usually end badly. We learned to stop going down there after Buttons broke his ankle from falling down them. Romeo, what made you think it'd be a good idea to hide it down there?" Specs scolded worriedly. The boys were low on money and didn't have enough to take someone to the doctor if they got hurt.

"It's gonna be fine, Specs! We made sure to turn on the lamp down there," Romeo said, frowning. Really, how stupid did he think he was?

Specs sighed and didn't say anything, not wanting to egg the younger boy on. "Let's go, who knows where the rest of the boys are by now," Crutchie said. He put his arm around Henry's shoulders and together they all went upstairs, searching all of the rooms. They searched the roof and all around the building.

"Where is it? We've searched everywhere!" Henry exclaimed. "Are we sure they actually hid it?" Davey asked. "Yeah, Mush wouldn't let them play without being fair," Specs told him. "So where is it?" Romeo asked.

"Maybe we should go make sure they haven't found the crutch yet," Crutchie suggested. The boys nodded and made their way to the stairs.

* * *

"Race, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't be? Look, the lamp's already on so nobody's gonna fall!"

The group of boys crept down the stairs and searched for a good place to hide the cigar. "If the lamp is on it means someone was down here. Maybe the other team hid the crutch down here," Mush pointed out. "Good idea. Half of ya search for the crutch while we hide the cigar," Albert said.

So the group split up and began searching the small room. Even though the lamp provided light, it didn't give off enough light to fill the entire room so half of it was still enveloped in darkness.

"Be careful, fellas, we can't afford to take anyone to the hospital right now," Mush warned as he searched for somewhere to put the cigar.

He wasn't sure if it he had jinxed it or if they pranking him but the minute those words left his mouth he heard a thud followed by a loud, "OW!"

"Who was that?" Race asked urgently. Elmer picked up the lamp gently and held it up so the light filled more of the room. The other team had been coming down the stairs and Finch had collided with Jojo somehow.

"You two ok?" Specs asked, pulling them up.

"I think so. You good, Jojo?" Finch asked, standing. The younger boy nodded as he stood as well before letting out a cry as he put weight on his left ankle. "Great," Albert muttered under his breath.

"Um, fellas, take him upstairs. Romeo, find the first aid kit," Davey instructed. Henry helped Crutchie get his crutch before they headed upstairs. When they got there they saw Jojo sitting on one of the beds, examining his ankle.

"I don't think it's broken, just sprained," Davey said. Jojo nodded.

"Why were you guys in the basement?" Race asked in an accusing tone. "We could ask you the same thing," Specs replied, making Race be quiet. "We should get Kloppmann to block off the basement," Henry suggested. "He's out getting dinner, I'll ask him about it when he gets back," Mush answered.

The boys spent the rest of the night relaxing and vowing to never go down to the basement again.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! I've had this written for a while, I just kept forgetting to post it. Hope you like it! Read and review, please. TTFN!**


	35. Dangerous Secrets

**A/N: Post-Strike and Pre-Jackrine Wedding**

"Davey, you sure you're ok?"

"Les, stop worrying, I'm fine."

"You just escaped the _Refuge_ , Davey, I don't think you're fine. You've heard the stories the other boys have told."

"Les," Davey snapped. His forehead was in his hands with his elbows on his knees. The boys were in their room and Davey had just snuck in through the window from the Refuge. Les hadn't seen his brother be taken away and just figured he'd spent the night at the Lodge when Davey hadn't shown up the night before.

But when Davey had snuck into their room, close to passing out, he knew he hadn't been at the Lodge.

Davey lied down on his bed, his breathing slow and soft. "Davey?" Les asked worriedly. "Les, I'm fine, just tired," Davey said. "Want me to get Jack? He knows what it's like there, he could help ya, Davey," Les suggested.

Davey's closing eyes shot open and he bolted upright (and tried to the hide the clearly visible wince). "Les, no. You can't tell the other boys." "Why? I can see you're hurt, Davey. There's blood on your arm," Les pointed out and Davey looked at his arm. He winced at the memory that came flooding back and shoved it to the back of his mind.

"Les, I'll tell them but not now. Let me handle it," Davey said.

"Boys! You better start heading to the Lodge, the Newsies are going to leave without you!" their mother called from the kitchen. Davey stood shakily and headed for the door. "Davey-."

" _Les_ , I'm _fine_ ," Davey said, but instead of sounding firm, he sounded exhausted. Les dropped it.

The brothers had almost made it out the door when their mother stopped them and explained, "Oh and you'll need to stay at the Lodge for a few days. Your father and I are leaving town tonight." Davey wanted to find some excuse for them to not be able to stay, but he couldn't so he just said, "OK. Bye."

They left in silence and slowly made their way to the Newsboys Lodging House. Davey wouldn't admit it, but he'd almost thrown up twice due to pain, exhaustion, and fear. He could feel his kid brother's eyes boring into him so he tried to put on a happy stature for the boy.

They reached the Lodging House and the boys were barely able to dodge a flying boot. Elmer quickly ran after the boot that tumbled down the stairs. "Sorry Dave! Sorry Les!" Romeo shouted. The walked into the bedroom that was filled with bunks and hyperactive newsboys. Les ran off to join Race and Henry's card game and Davey searched for Jack through the crowd.

There! He spotted him talking to Crutchie and Specs. Davey slowly made his way over and when Jack saw him he did a double take. "Whoa Dave, what happened to you?" Jack asked, shocked and worried. "Nothing, I'm fine. Can Les and I stay here for a few days? Our folks are leaving town tonight," he explained.

"'Course! You guys know you're always welcome here," Jack smiled, clapping Davey on the shoulder. Davey winced away from the touch and a pillow just happened to be sent through the air at that moment. The pillow hit Davey in the back of the head.

His heart sped up. Nausea built its way up his throat. His body shook. His breath was caught in his throat. What was happening? He couldn't breath. His heart was going a mile a minute and before he could stop it, the vomit poured out of his mouth. Shouts rang out through the Lodge and someone placed their hand on his shoulder. He pulled away. His legs gave out and he fell to his knees. Davey's vision blurred and his head spun.

"Davey. Hey, you're safe, its ok. No one's gonna hurt ya here. We'se ya family remember? It's ok, you're safe," a voice was saying.

He threw up again and more shouts filled the Lodge. He was back. Back in that wretched building. Back with that horrible, awful, man.

"Davey. Listen, you're ok. Here, breath with me Dave. Breath in through your nose slowly and out through your mouth, ok?"

Davey shook his head weakly. "Can't- can't-." "It's ok, we're just breathing. Breath in, and out. In and out. There ya go, that's it. In and out, in and out."

Davey's vision cleared slowly and his head buzzed noisily. He looked around and saw the boys staring at him with fearful looks and trying to clean up the puke that was stenching the room. "Dave, you're gonna stay here today and rest, ok?" Jack ordered, worried and skeptic. "No, I'm fine," Davey said, trying to stand. But the exhaustion from the panic attack made him nearly fall over again.

Jack and Specs caught him and sat him on one of the bottom bunks. "Sleep," Jack ordered. Davey started to argue until Les appeared next to him. "Rest or I'm telling them," he whispered. Davey saw fear in his brother's eyes and decided he should listen.

After making sure he was actually going to stay put, the boys left. They explained the situation to Kloppmann and the older man promised to keep an eye on the teen. Les knew Jack was going to question him about the panic attack, so he avoided the older boy at all costs, even if it meant selling alone.

"Les you sure? I don't think this is a good idea," Jack said skeptically after Les explained the plan. "Jack, I'm ten now, I think I can sell by myself. Wasn't Romeo ten when you guys left him sell by 'imself?" Les questioned.

Jack knew the kid had a point and sighed. "Fine. But stay away from the Delanceys and holler if you need help, got it?" Les nodded. "Oh and Les-." But he was already off. He decided to sell by the Jacobi's, but couldn't get his brother out of his mind and the panic attack he had had.

What if that happened again? What if it happened while they were home? Les didn't know how to handle that, like Jack had. What if he can't calm Davey down?

Les felt his own breath quickening in fear and beginning racking his brain. Who could he go to with this? Davey had said not to tell the Newsies, but he needed to talk about it. A bell seemed to go off in Les' head as he realized who he could tell. It might be a long shot, but maybe he could go to the King of Brooklyn.

He finished selling his papes as quickly as he could, then ran off to Brooklyn. The sun was beginning to set when he finally reached Brooklyn. He saw two boys, one tall and the other short, walking together and talking. They were both very muscular and had dirt covering their bodies. Both had newsies bags around their bodies and the two roughhoused as they walked back to their Lodging House.

With a sudden burst of courage, Les ran over to them and said, "Hey!" They both stopped and turned, confused. When they saw Les, they smirked and nudged each other. "You'se a Manhattan newsie right?" one of them asked. Les nodded. "What're ya doin' all da way ovah here, kid?" the other asked.

"I need to talk to Spot. Please, it's important," Les pleaded. "If ya are tryin' to plan anothah strike we ain't interested," the first said. "No, it's not a strike. Please, I just need to talk to him about something."

The boys looked at each other. The second shrugged. "What'll it hurt? It's not like he's a threat or nothin', he's a kid." Les took slight offence to that but didn't say anything. They might actually take him to Spot, he wasn't going to start a fight with them. Plus they could both probably kill him in a few minutes.

"Fine," the first one sighed. "What's yer name kid?" the second asked. "Les." He held out his hand to the older boys and they chuckled. "Scab," the first said. "Jesse," the second said. "He's new, we ain't given him a nickname yet," Scab explained after noticing Les' confused expression.

Scab and Jesse led Les to the Lodging House for the Brooklyn newsies. Scab opened the door and they went up the stairs, dodging various boys that were roughhousing, throwing pillows, boots, hats, etc. The went to the top room and knocked.

"Come in."

Jesse opened the door and poked his head in.

"'Ey, Spot. A kid from Manhattan is here and needs to talk to ya. Kid, what's yer name again?"

"Les."

"'Is name is Les."

Spot was quiet for a minute, then announced, "Let him in." Les sighed in relief and Jesse fully opened the door, allowing Les to walk in.

The King of Brooklyn was lounging in a nook by a window, twirling a cigar between his fingers lazily. "Whaddya want, kid?"

Les hesitated. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. How did he know he could trust Spot? What if he told Jack? "C'mon, kid, I ain't got all day," Spot snapped, making Les jump slightly.

"Um, well, it's my brother. He, um, went to the Refuge last night. I-I don't know what to do cause-cause he doesn't want me to tell Jack, but he-but he had a-had, um, I don't remember what Jack called it. Attack something."

"Panic attack?" Spot asked. It could've been Les' imagination, but it actually look like he had concern on his face. Les nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah that! He had a panic attack and I know the other boys are worried about him. But-but Davey doesn't want me to tell them. Spot, what should I do?" he rambled. The kid was near tears and Spot could see this, so he sent Scab and Jesse away.

He got up from his spot near the window and walked over to Les. Spot was a lot taller than Les remembered and instinctively took a step back.

"Les, has yer bruddah told ya what happened at da Refuge?" Spot asked, Brooklyn accent thick. Les shook his head. "Okay, well, I know it'll upset yer bruddah, but ya need to tell da oddah boys. They'se been to da Refuge, they know how to handle da nightmares and panic attacks. Dey can help, ok?" Spot said knowingly, placing his hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

Les nodded, knowing Spot was right. "Look, it's gettin' late. Go tell Scab I'se said to make sure ya get to Manhattan safely, got it?" Spot crossed his arms over his chest. "Thank you, Spot," Les smiled.

Spot gave the younger boy a half smile and nodded in response, before waving him off. Les left and delivered Scab Spot's orders and the two made their way across the Bridge.

* * *

By the time they finally made it back, it was dark. "Thanks, Scab," Les smiled as they stopped in front of the Lodging House. "Course, kid. Stay safe." Scab left and Les walked in.

"There you are, Les! They've been going crazy trying to find you!" Kloppmann greeted when he walked in. Whoops. Les ran up the stairs and found the boys in a chaotic flurry.

"Les!"

Suddenly he was bombarded with questions, scolds, hugs, and slaps upside the head. "Where the heck have you been," Jack asked after making sure he wasn't hurt.

"Long story. Where's Davey?" Les asked, looking around. "He hurt himself somehow so he's in the bathroom cleanin' himself up. Hey what was with that panic attack earlier? He had another on while you'se was gone, mutterin' something about 'him'. Is he ok?" Jack asked.

Les hesitated, before spilling the entire story. By the time he was finished, Davey walked out of the bathroom, feeling like crap. But at least he wasn't bleeding anymore. When he left the bathroom, he was greeted by several angry/worried looks from the boys.

"What?" Davey asked, confused.

"Why didn't you tell us you went to the Refuge?"

Davey sent Les an angry look. "Hey, don't get mad at him, he had the right to tell us. Davey, we don't care how or why you got there. Why didn't you tell us?" Race asked.

"I don't know, I didn't want you guys to worry," he said sheepishly, "I could handle it, it wasn't a big deal."

"It's always a big deal when someone gets back from the Refuge. I can't believe I didn't even realize that's why you were havin' those panic attacks," Crutchie said.

"You wanna talk about it?" Jack asked kindly. Davey shook his head, but as the memories replayed in his mind, tears spilled down his cheeks and he collapsed on the floor. "Hey, it's ok, Dave, we've all been there," Jack said, walking over and sitting in front of him.

The rest of the night, the boys stayed up and made sure Davey was ok. They never found out the reason he was sent, but that wasn't important to them. What was, was making sure he was ok.

"So where'd you run off to anyway, Les?"

"Brooklyn. I needed to talk to someone about this and Davey didn't want me to tell you guys so I talked to Spot."

"What."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey y'all! I hope you enjoyed this cause it was emotionally draining to write! But also really fun because I love Les and all the Brooklyn characters. Anyway, shout-out to Superavenger212 for this idea! Please don't get mad at me if I didn't write the panic attack scene right. My panic attacks a very different from 'anxiety panic attacks' so I had to research how to write it.**

 **I have this thing called Vasovagal Syncope, where whenever I see, hear, or sometimes even write about blood or injuries, I'll faint. I count the moment right before I faint, where I'm kind of freaking out, a panic attack. So I tried my best so please don't get mad at me. As always, please send in your requests and I'll try my best to write them. TTFN!**


	36. A Special Birthday

**A/N: Modern AU**

"OK boys, it's Josie's first birthday, so we gotta make it a good one!"

"What're we gonna do?"

"Well, Jack and Kath are bringing her over later, so we've got time to decorate and get her at least one present," Specs announced.

The boys had already put their money together so they could buy their unofficial niece a birthday present.

Mush, Elmer, and Finch were in the kitchen trying to bake a cake for the one yr. old and Specs was giving the rest of the boys instructions. Race, Romeo, Crutchie, Swift (who'd shown up the night before to help), and Jojo were being sent to get a present, while Buttons, Specs, Albert, Henry, and Sniper were to decorate the foster home. The Jacobs brothers were coming later on, but when they showed up they were to help with the cake.

"OK, let's get going so we're not gone when Jack and Kath get here," Race shouted to his group. They quickly piled into the seventeen year old's old car. "What do we even buy a one yr. old?" Crutchie asked as Race started the car and drove off. "A toy or something, I don't know," Race shrugged. "We could go to the baby toy aisle and try to find something there," Swift added. The boys nodded.

When they finally reached the store, it took forever for Swift and Crutchie to get their group to the baby toys section. They kept stopping to look at the candy, the Easter decorations, the cards that make sounds, and basically anything they could find.

"Do you think she'd like this one?" Romeo asked, holding up a multi-colored dog. It appeared to sing the ABCs and numbers when you pushed the buttons on its belly. Race scrunched up his face in obvious dislike. "Nah, let's get the walker. Kath said she's pullin' herself up on things now," Race said, pulling a walker that had multiple toys on the front off the shelf.

"I think we should get the xylophone," Jojo grinned, pulling it off the shelf. "Jack would get so annoyed with that thing," Romeo added. "I know, that's why we should get it," Jojo said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The brothers and sister laughed, but made Jojo put it back, not wanting to anger their oldest brother.

"I agree with Race, we should get the walker," Swift said. Race smiled at her and she smiled back. "Ok, the lovebirds are going to start making out so we should get goin'," Romeo said, rolling his eyes. Race and Swift sent a glare at the youngest brother, who shrugged.

They ended up going with the walker and after purchasing it, they were all back in the car. "Ok, Crutch, call Specs and tell 'im we're gonna be back soon," Race instructed. "Do you know if we got wrapping paper at the house?" Swift asked, searching the bag. "I don't think so," Race answered after a minute of thinking. "Well we'll need to stop and pick some up, we forgot to get it at the-."

 _POP!_

The car went silent. A loud, obnoxious, noise sounded from below the car as Race continued down the rough, gravel, road. "What just happened?" Romeo asked worriedly. "I think we just popped a tire," Race sighed, gently driving the car to the side of the road.

* * *

Sniper passed the various decorations down to Specs, who gave them to Buttons. He, Albert, and Henry began blowing up balloons with the helium they'd found from the last party while Sniper and Specs hung the streamers and banner.

"Hey Sniper," a funny, high-pitched voice said. Sniper turned in confusion and saw Albert, balloon in hand. "We inhaled the helium," Albert explained in a high pitched voice, making Sniper laugh. "Let me try," Sniper said, taking the balloon. They continued to inhale the helium until Buttons got light-headed and nearly passed out.

The door opened and the Jacobs brothers walked in. "Sorry we're late," Davey apologized as Les bounced excitedly on his toes. "You're good. You two are going to help Mush, Finch, and Elmer in the kitchen with the cake," Specs said, patting Davey on the back as he walked past them. Davey nodded and tapped Les on the shoulder, silently telling him to follow him.

"Hey Specs?" Sniper asked, making the second oldest boy turn.

"Sniper, how the _heck_ did you do that?"

"I don't know, it just happened!"

Sniper had somehow managed to get a non-blown up balloon over his hand, and his hand was currently stuck inside the balloon.

Shouts sounded from the kitchen, making the boys rush to see what had happened.

The cake batter was on the ground, upside down. "What happened?" Specs shouted over all the noise. "I was putting the cake in the oven and Elmer backed into me and made me spill it!" Finch explained, irritation thick in his voice. "It was an accident! I was trying to put the eggs up!" Elmer defended. "It's ok, just start another one. Jack and Kath are going to be here soon," Mush said.

Specs' cellphone began ringing, making him pull it out of his pocket in confusion. 'Race'. He groaned inwardly. Now what? He walked upstairs so he could talk in silence before answering.

"Hey Specs. Um, we popped a tire," Race said sheepishly.

Specs was silent, trying to process what Race had just said. "You-you _what_?"

"Ya heard me, Specs, I popped a tire. I need ya to come pick us up. Spot's gonna come get the car, but we need a way to get back to the house," Race explained. Specs sighed and rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses. "I'll be there in a minute. Where you guys?"

"We're on the road heading to the house. A rock musta popped it or something, the tire was getting old anyway," Race explained. Specs heard chattering in the background and Race soon said, "Romeo! Get off the roof of the car! Specs, I gotta go," and hung up before Specs could question what was going on.

He went back down the stairs to find Albert and Henry trying to pry the balloon off of Sniper's hand while the others cleaned up the batter.

He pulled Mush aside and whispered, "I gotta go pick up Race and the others. He popped a tire. You got this?" Mush nodded with a smirk. "We'll be fine." Specs nodded and left.

* * *

When he reached the spot where everyone was waiting, he saw Romeo on top of Jojo's shoulders while Swift tried to get him to come down, Crutchie was on his phone, and Race looked bored. There was a white, grocery sack near Crutchie's crutch that Specs guess had the toy in it.

He pulled the car next to a stop next to Race's and the group piled in after safely getting Romeo down from Jojo's shoulders. "Jack and Katherine are probably already there, so you'll need to go in the back way," Specs explained as the drove.

"What's the back way?" Swift asked in confusion. "We tied a ladder to the back of the house so we can climb up it and into one of the empty rooms," Race explained with a small laugh. Swift began to say something then changed her mind, shaking her head slowly with an amused smile on her face.

When they got back to the foster home, they saw Jack's car which meant they were somewhere in the house. "Ok, go up the back way and I'll check on cake," Specs said and the group nodded.

Race led his group to the back of the house, where the tall ladder rested. "Rome, you first, then Crutchie, Jojo, Swift, then me," Race instructed.

Romeo practically flew up the ladder, which probably meant this wasn't the first time he'd used it. Crutchie had a bit of trouble and got stuck halfway up. Much to his displeasure, Romeo had to come help him climb the rest of the way. Jojo climbed it with as much ease as Romeo, which made Race wonder how many times the two boys had used the ladder and for what… Swift was very, very, skeptical of the ladder and was shaking the entire way up. She made Race hold it for her as she climbed. Race climbed with ease as well, just not as much as Romeo and Jojo.

"Crutch, you go downstairs and check on everything. We'll figure out something to wrap it up with," Race instructed.

Crutchie headed out and down the stairs. "There ya are, Crutch! Where's the rest of the boys?" Jack asked, confused as Crutchie made his way down the stairs.

"Um," Crutchie started, wide-eyed. It was then that he realized he hadn't come up with a believable story.

He looked to Specs and Mush for help. "They're cleaning their rooms they'll be down in a minute," Mush covered quickly. Jack nodded, suspicion covering his face. "Alrighty then…"

After a few minutes, they all ran down the stairs, the large blob of a toy wrapped up in a few blankets. "What is that?" Katherine asked, wide-eyed.

Josie froze at the sight of the blob, terrified. "It's a present for Josie," Race said, setting it down gently. Josie's large brown eyes followed it very carefully.

"Aw, fellas, that was sweet of you but you didn't have to go through all that trouble," Jack said, eyeing the blob with suspicion.

"It wasn't trouble! She's our niece, we gotta spoil 'er don't we?" Sniper grinned. Jack and Katherine smiled lovingly at the boys, but Josie had not taken her eyes off the blob, as if it might attack her at any moment.

"I guess we coulda made it more friendly lookin'," Jojo said, watching the baby. "Here, Josie, it's ok, look it won't hurt you," Katherine said, inching towards the blob with the baby in her arms. Josie began whining as Katherine got closer and closer. Katherine knelt beside it and Josie was clinging to her mother for dear life.

"Josie, look! It's a toy!" Swift said, trying to show her the blob wasn't vicious as she knelt down and uncovered part of the toy. In the process, Swift had pressed one of the buttons that sings a children's song. This spiked Josie's curiosity and she turned towards the blob, confused.

Slowly and carefully, she sat on her mother's lap. Katherine uncovered a bit more of it and once Josie realized it wasn't dangerous, she smiled widely and began uncovering the toy. Once it was fully uncovered, it had the baby's full attention.

The multi-colored, singing, toy filled walker quickly became the baby's best friend. After a while, they managed to draw her away from it long enough to get her to try some cake. And by try it, she smashed it, screaming with delight. This gave the younger boys the idea to start a cake war, which resulted in a very messy kitchen and icing and cake covered Newsies.

"Thanks boys, for giving her a party and everything. Even though she probably won't remember it, it's nice to know that you guys care about her," Katherine grinned. "Course Kath! You guys are family after all!" Crutchie grinned.

Katherine, Jack, and Josie ended up spending the night due to the heavy rain outside. They ended the night with a movie, some games, and spending time with their niece.

* * *

 **A **/N: Hey y'all! I thought since I'd given you guys two angsty ones in a row, I'd do a lighthearted one, especially since yesterday was Josie's birthday. Sorry I didn't post it yesterday I was super busy. Read and review please!****


End file.
